Ministry of Finance
According to a press release from the Ministry of Finance on Monday, a pre-trial hearing was held on the March 24 to determine what the scope of the hearing will be. The Chairman of the Special Tribunal, Vernon Ashby said that the dispute currently treats with salaries and COLA only. The CPO Stephanie Lewis agreed with PSA that other issues should be discussed. It was agreed that the CPO and the PSA would meet to determine the status of other terms and conditions of employment with a view to indicating to the Tribunal which other issues were or were not in dispute. A date was set for the Tribunal to reconvene on May 23, 2011. While the matter of salaries and COLA remains before the Special Tribunal for determination, the PSA and CPO are to meet on a mutually convenient date to begin discussions on allowances payable to officers of the Civil Service and Statutory Authorities.