ISCF says no!

• Police group rejects Gov't's salary-increase proposal
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The Island Special Constabulary Force (ISCF) Association has rejected a proposal by the Government for the payment of its members' seven per cent salary increase, which could see the workers giving up one year of their retroactive salaries with the remaining portion to be paid over a two-year period.

Chairman of the association, Special Inspector St George Jackson, while speaking to delegates at Harman Barracks in Kingston yesterday, said the Government has proposed that the seven per cent be implemented next September and that the payment as it relates to retroactive salary be calculated as at April 1to September 2011.

"So the payment will not be in any lump-sum form, but will be implemented and a seven per cent adjustment made over a six-month period moving from September 2011 to March 2012," he said.

"In furtherance, all of that will be implemented on condition that one year of the outstanding two years be forgone. The one year remaining for contemplation for payments should commence its obligations for payment in the month of June 2012 and phase over a period up to 2014," he added.

But that did not go down well with the islandwide delegates who were summoned to the emergency meeting to decide on the way forward.

They voted unanimously to turn down the offer.

In countering the proposal, the association has requested that the Government implement the seven per cent in July, with the outstanding payment leading up to April ofthis year accompanying the implementation.

no timeline

He said the payment of the remaining portion of the outstanding monies should not go beyond 2012.

Jackson said the association's members have waited for more than 27 months and, while they understand the economic challenges, they are not prepared to give up their rights to payment.

Jackson, however, said the association would not give a timeline for the Government to make the payments, but is expecting that, in principle, the matter will be addressed.

The association said it was disturbed over the Government's failure to pay the seven per cent salary increase under a heads of agreement for the period 2008 to 2010.