Lead Editor – Politics
akash.samaroo@cnc3.co.tt
Public Services Association (PSA) president Felisha Thomas says the union is still waiting to meet with the Chief Personnel Officer (CPO) to discuss its counter proposal for settling public officers’ salary negotiation arrears, describing the delay as unprecedented and claiming it represents “the first unsettled settlement in history.”
In a Facebook post to members yesterday, Thomas said the PSA had formally written to the CPO requesting a meeting.
“The PSA via correspondence to the Chief Personnel Officer requested to meet in furtherance of finalising the settlement of your negotiation arrears,” Thomas wrote.
According to Thomas, the CPO responded that he was not yet available.
“The CPO indicated that he was not in a position to meet as his office was still considering the PSA’s counter proposal,” she said.
Thomas noted that almost two months had passed since the PSA submitted its counter proposal, while eight months had elapsed since the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) was signed.
She added that the continued delay was unlike any previous wage settlement.
“This is the first unsettled settlement in history,” Thomas said.
Comments on the Facebook post were restricted.
The development marks another chapter in the prolonged discussions over how public servants will receive arrears arising from the wage agreement signed between the Government and the PSA.
The MOA, signed late last year, delivered a 10 per cent salary increase for PSA-represented workers but left unresolved the structure for payment of outstanding arrears.
The Government has maintained its proposal that arrears should be settled through a combination of cash and non-cash benefits.
Earlier this year, the CPO said the State remained committed to a mixed settlement comprising 40 per cent cash and 60 per cent non-cash benefits.
The PSA subsequently rejected that proposal and submitted a counter proposal seeking a greater cash component.
The union proposed that members receive 60 per cent of their arrears in cash and 40 per cent through non-cash benefits.
As part of those discussions, the PSA also proposed a range of non-cash benefits, including food cards and fuel assistance, arguing that such measures would provide meaningful relief to public officers while negotiations continued.
However, Guardian Media understands that such proposals may not be feasible, as any food card arrangement would likely have to be prepaid rather than operate as a credit facility.
Since then, there has been no public announcement indicating that the two sides have reached an agreement on the structure of the arrears payment.
Guardian Media was unable to reach Chief Personnel Officer Commander Dr Daryl Dindial for comment.
Former Minister in the Finance Ministry Brian Manning, however, mocked Thomas’ comments on social media.
Manning posted: “Long time we eh talk girl. How de ten per cent going? I’m hearing is now four per cent cash and six per cent hamper, bubble gum, lottery ticket and best wishes.”
“What it is really going on?”
The 10 per cent wage increase agreement between the PSA and CPO, covering the 2014–2016 and 2017–2019 negotiating periods, is estimated to cost the State approximately TT$3.8 billion in back pay arrears, alongside an ongoing recurrent cost of about TT$420 million annually.
Structured as one per cent increases per year from 2014 through 2018, followed by a five per cent increase in 2019, the agreement’s overall fiscal impact rises closer to a 15 per cent salary increase when the consolidated Cost of Living Allowance (COLA) is factored in.
An initial advance payment was issued in cash in December 2025, but the Government has not officially disclosed the exact dollar figure paid to date against the TT$3.8 billion back pay balance.
The offer of a baseline 10 per cent wage increase was a major promise made by the UNC during its general election campaign to secure the support of public sector workers.
