The Committee of Civil Servants Unions submits COLA request to Government

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Committee of Civil Servants Unions

 

PHILIPSBURG — The Committee of Civil Servants Unions (CCSU), formally known as the GOA submitted a request for Cost of Living Adjustment to the Prime Minister the Honorable Leona Romeo-Marlin on Wednesday January 30th 2019.

The members of the CCSU stated in their letter that Ministers and civil servants alike were required to deliver under extraordinary circumstances directly after the passing of hurricane Irma and Maria: “civil servants came to work every day to produce the work necessary for the day to day running of the governmental apparatus as the country found itself in a trying period, with limited capacities and resources. Unfortunately, for the last six (6) years the salaries of Civil Servants have not been indexed based on the applicable Cost of Living Adjustments (COLA) of 11% not including 2018”.

Taking into consideration and acknowledging that since the opening of the tourism season there are strong signs of economic improvement, with the return of major cruise lines and the reopening of pivotal commerce on the Island, it is now time to reopen the discussion of a salary adjustment.

The CCSU made 2 different proposals to the Prime Minister as to how the COLA could be paid out to the civil servants and made it clear that the CCSU is willing to sit with Government and together come up with a workable proposal for both parties.