Six per cent wage offer is not a bad deal
When one takes an oath to become a policeman or policewoman, I believe that they commit to putting country before self. That, to me, means that your primary responsibility is to protect the people of this country, regardless of the circumstances. It is against that background that I am a bit conflicted about this ongoing ‘sickout’ by somewhere in the region of 6,000 policemen across this country, protesting the breakdown in wage negotiations between the Jamaica Police Federation and the Government. It is true that public-sector workers – policemen, nurses, and teachers – have held strain for almost a decade while the government got its house in order under the guidance of the International Monetary Fund (IMF). It is also true that the conditions under which our law-enforcement officers are forced to work are deplorable and are in desperate need of improvement. So I understand the angst of the rank and file policemen who the Government are offering a six per cent increase over two years. On the face of it the offer is insulting, especially against the background that salaries have been frozen for so long, which have allowed the Government to pay down its considerable debt which has hampered the country’s ability to grow.
But there are some realities that are being overlooked here and I want to highlight some of them.
First of all, as I mentioned earlier, the job of a policeman is a thankless one. They are called upon to put their lives, and that of their families, on the line on a daily basis for relatively poor pay. It is kind of what they signed up for.
GET RICH
I don’t think anyone has ever joined the police force thinking they are going to get rich (unless, of course, they are going to step outside the boundaries of the law). That has to be taken into consideration when deciding to go on strike for better pay.
The other thing is the civil servants got somewhat of a windfall when the Government raised the income tax threshold to $1.5 million just over a year ago. So an additional six per cent is not that bad of a deal all-round.
It’s not great, but it is not as bad as it is being made out to be.
That being said, though, I think there are sweeteners that the Government can add to make the life of our policemen less difficult without breaking the bank.
Cut the civil service of the dead wood and that will free up cash to pay the policemen more, offer them improved insurance and health benefits and maybe make it easier for them to afford homes.
Whatever it is, it needs to happen soon. Fighting crime is not easy and fighting it on hungry bellies makes it even harder. With the murder figures at record numbers, a compromise must be found soon.
Happy New Year!