JavaScript is disabled in your web browser or browser is too old to support JavaScript. Today almost all web pages contain JavaScript, a scripting programming language that runs on visitor's web browser. It makes web pages functional for specific purposes and if disabled for some reason, the content or the functionality of the web page can be limited or unavailable.

Monday, July 7, 2025

Rowley blasts SRC

...Salary sug­ges­tions dis­re­spect­ful to house

by

20140221

Op­po­si­tion Leader Dr Kei­th Row­ley yes­ter­day slammed the Salaries Re­view Com­mis­sion (SRC), say­ing it was dis­re­spect­ful and out of step in its 98th Re­port for salaries and oth­er ben­e­fits for MPs.The re­port was pre­sent­ed for de­bate in the House of Rep­re­sen­ta­tives by leader of gov­ern­ment busi­ness Dr Roodal Mooni­lal.

It con­tained salary in­creas­es and oth­er ben­e­fits for some 900 top of­fi­cials in the coun­try, in­clud­ing the pres­i­dent, prime min­is­ter, chief jus­tice and op­po­si­tion Leader. The SRC rec­om­mend­ed a 24 per cent hike in month­ly salary for many of those of­fi­cials.

But Row­ley was not im­pressed by the SRC re­port, say­ing it was done in a "poor" and "il­le­gal" man­ner. Ad­mit­ting to leg­is­la­tors he had a prob­lem with the doc­u­ment, Row­ley said it ap­peared the SRC felt the work of MPs had di­min­ished, or that the coun­try can­not af­ford to pay MPs prop­er salaries.He said: "The deputy chair­man of the SRC earns more than a MP. That's mad­ness, doesn't make any sense.

"I think there is a cer­tain amount of malev­o­lence that comes from the com­mis­sion to mem­bers of this House. And if the rest of you want to ac­cept it that is a mat­ter for you. I re­ject it."Row­ley said he worked very hard "for what­ev­er is giv­en to me as my emol­u­ment and I haven't been com­plain­ing, but I will com­plain now when I see I am be­ing dis­re­spect­ed by a com­mis­sion that takes the po­si­tion that my time and ef­fort are worth noth­ing."

Not­ing that the SRC was es­tab­lished in 1976 to re­view the salaries and oth­er con­di­tions of of­fi­cials un­der its purview, Row­ley said this was done to pre­vent par­lia­men­tar­i­ans from set­ting their own terms and con­di­tions of em­ploy­ment.

Row­ley said an­oth­er re­port, which was re­quest­ed by Cab­i­net from the House Com­mit­tee, was more in keep­ing with the re­quire­ments of par­lia­men­tar­i­ans but was re­ject­ed by the Cab­i­net. He said the Cab­i­net had failed the House Com­mit­tee, which was es­tab­lished on Sep­tem­ber 9, 2013, and chaired by Hous­ing and Ur­ban de­vel­op­ment Min­is­ter Dr Roodal Mooni­lal. Oth­er mem­bers of the com­mit­tee were Anil Roberts, Ver­nel­la Al­leyne-Top­pin, Nela Khan, Colm Im­bert and Nile­ung Hy­po­lite.

Row­ley said he ex­pect­ed the SRC would have con­sid­ered facts and not fic­tion in mak­ing its re­port. The Diego Mar­tin West MP said the Kam­la Per­sad-Bisses­sar-led Cab­i­net failed to prop­er­ly as­sess the House Com­mit­tee re­port, which was pre­pared fol­low­ing the SRC re­port.He was al­so crit­i­cal of the com­mis­sion for say­ing in its fifth con­sec­u­tive re­port that it was not able to treat with MPs be­cause of the need for an as­sess­ment of work­load and con­tri­bu­tions.

Row­ley asked how could the com­mis­sion find re­sources to vi­o­late ba­sic in­dus­tri­al re­la­tions prac­tice, adding the on­ly thing they did of sig­nif­i­cance to MPs was to take away their en­ti­tle­ment to du­ty/tax ex­emp­tions on cars they buy for their of­fi­cial use. Row­ley said this was not ne­go­ti­at­ed and must be re­ject­ed out­right as it was wrong in prin­ci­ple."Where did the SRC get the au­thor­i­ty from to want to change a Cab­i­net de­ci­sion?" Row­ley asked.

"That should have been ig­nored out of hand. There is a mind­set that par­lia­men­tar­i­ans aren't worth any­thing and they could be treat­ed in the most off-hand man­ner."He said the on­ly peo­ple on the pub­lic pay­roll over whom the pub­lic has any con­trol are MPs."If you don't like what they are do­ing, then you vote them out of of­fice next time. We are the on­ly peo­ple who the mem­bers of the pub­lic have any con­trol over, not per­ma­nent sec­re­taries, not di­rec­tors, not man­ages in state en­ter­pris­es," Row­ley said.

He in­sist­ed the work of the par­lia­men­tar­i­ans was not a part time job."I know that there are those out­side who say we are ar­gu­ing for a pay in­crease. That's not the ar­gu­ment I am mak­ing, I am mak­ing an ar­gu­ment for fair treat­ment and more im­por­tant­ly, to en­sure that col­leagues on both sides of the House are avail­able to the House."

No­body hap­py with re­port

Ch­agua­nas West MP Jack Warn­er al­so asked act­ing Prime Min­is­ter Er­rol Mc Leod how the salary of the Com­mis­sion­er of Po­lice could be less than that of the pres­i­dent of Ni­herst, as was rec­om­mend­ed by the SRC. The SRC is rec­om­mend­ing that the CoP be paid $31,050 a month, while it rec­om­mend­ed a salary of $32,050 for the Ni­herst pres­i­dent.Mooni­lal said the in­crease will be retroac­tive to Oc­to­ber 2011. He said the SRC was ex­pect­ed to be­gin a new re­view of salaries and oth­er ben­e­fits for the of­fi­cials in 2015.


Related articles

Sponsored

Weather

PORT OF SPAIN WEATHER

Sponsored

Today's
Guardian

Publications

The Executive of the National Parang Association 2025-27. Back row, from left: Kervin Preudhomme, assistant secretary; Shaquille Headley, committee member; Cheriese Pierre, committee member; Lisa Lee, trustee; Joanne Briggs, PRO; Yarelis Touissant, committee member; William Calliste, trustee. Front row, from left: Jenais Carter, secretary; Alicia Jaggasar, president; Henrietta Carter, vice president; Joseph Bertrand, youth officer. Missing: Kerrylee Chee Chow, treasurer; Chevone Pierre, committee member.

The Executive of the National Parang Association 2025-27. Back row, from left: Kervin Preudhomme, assistant secretary; Shaquille Headley, committee member; Cheriese Pierre, committee member; Lisa Lee, trustee; Joanne Briggs, PRO; Yarelis Touissant, committee member; William Calliste, trustee. Front row, from left: Jenais Carter, secretary; Alicia Jaggasar, president; Henrietta Carter, vice president; Joseph Bertrand, youth officer. Missing: Kerrylee Chee Chow, treasurer; Chevone Pierre, committee member.

The Executive of the National Parang Association 2025-27. Back row, from left: Kervin Preudhomme, assistant secretary; Shaquille Headley, committee member; Cheriese Pierre, committee member; Lisa Lee, trustee; Joanne Briggs, PRO; Yarelis Touissant, committee member; William Calliste, trustee. Front row, from left: Jenais Carter, secretary; Alicia Jaggasar, president; Henrietta Carter, vice president; Joseph Bertrand, youth officer. Missing: Kerrylee Chee Chow, treasurer; Chevone Pierre, committee member.

The Executive of the National Parang Association 2025-27. Back row, from left: Kervin Preudhomme, assistant secretary; Shaquille Headley, committee member; Cheriese Pierre, committee member; Lisa Lee, trustee; Joanne Briggs, PRO; Yarelis Touissant, committee member; William Calliste, trustee. Front row, from left: Jenais Carter, secretary; Alicia Jaggasar, president; Henrietta Carter, vice president; Joseph Bertrand, youth officer. Missing: Kerrylee Chee Chow, treasurer; Chevone Pierre, committee member.

Jaggasar returns as National Parang president

20 hours ago
Charles Town junior drummers and dancers take to the stage

Charles Town junior drummers and dancers take to the stage

Charles Town junior drummers and dancers take to the stage

Charles Town junior drummers and dancers take to the stage

Jamaican Maroons celebrate, question land rights

20 hours ago
Sherron Harford

Sherron Harford

Sherron Harford

Sherron Harford

Sherron Harford’s holistic mission

to transform the lives of girls

Yesterday
Despite finding out just three days earlier—on December 23—that I had breast cancer, I still got dressed and showed up on December 26, Boxing Day, for a birthday party. I didn’t go to escape the truth. I went to remind myself I was still here, still living, still me.

Despite finding out just three days earlier—on December 23—that I had breast cancer, I still got dressed and showed up on December 26, Boxing Day, for a birthday party. I didn’t go to escape the truth. I went to remind myself I was still here, still living, still me.

Despite finding out just three days earlier—on December 23—that I had breast cancer, I still got dressed and showed up on December 26, Boxing Day, for a birthday party. I didn’t go to escape the truth. I went to remind myself I was still here, still living, still me.

Despite finding out just three days earlier—on December 23—that I had breast cancer, I still got dressed and showed up on December 26, Boxing Day, for a birthday party. I didn’t go to escape the truth. I went to remind myself I was still here, still living, still me.

Nicole Drayton’s breast cancer journey–Fear, faith, and fighting back

Yesterday