Shane Superville
Senior Reporter
shane.superville@guardian.co.tt
Public Services’ Association’s (PSA) president Felisha Thomas has agreed that public servants will take a part payment of the backpay Government will owe them before the end of the year.
The advance on the arrears, expected to be disbursed on or before December 23, was one of the main features of the agreement Thomas signed off on with Chief Personnel Officer Daryl Dindial early yesterday morning, following hours of negotiations which started on Monday evening.
And while Thomas was yesterday unwilling to disclose the full figure of the advance on backpay that will be owed to the 25,000 public servants her union represents, she anticipates they will be happy with the figure provided.
Speaking with Guardian Media, Thomas said the advance will consist of only part of the arrears owed to the public servants. When asked how much money this would be, Thomas said she did not want to reveal the exact figure for “safety reasons,” but was happy the PSA was able to negotiate for part of the sum to be paid out before Christmas.
“Just to say it’s a figure that will make the membership happy,” Thomas said.
The agreement is expected to cost Government $3.8 billion and $420 million annually in recurrent expenditure.
Thomas also stressed that the negotiations with the CPO have not yet concluded, as there were still several outstanding matters to be discussed at meetings carded for January. She said the matters to be discussed included allowances and “non-cost” items.
Other trade unions have already expressed hope that Government will also offer them 10 per cent wage hikes. (See other story)
Last week, however, Minister in the Ministry of Public Utilities and former trade unionist Clyde Elder said it was unlikely the PSA’s successful wage negotiations will be repeated to other unions. He noted that unions that accepted the previous government’s offer of a four per cent increase would find it difficult to reopen negotiations with the CPO.
“An agreement made and signed is what it is. If those unions did not believe that their membership deserved more than four per cent and they signed for four per cent, then you cannot now come and say ‘Well, if the PSA get ten per cent, I want ten per cent too,” Elder said.
Asked about this yesterday, Thomas said she agreed with Elder’s stance on the matter, but declined to comment further on reports that other trade unions were anticipating similar engagement with Government.
“I wouldn’t make any comment on that. I wish the best to all my comrades and the workers they represent.”
In March, Thomas appeared at a United National Congress campaign meeting at Northeastern Settlement, Sangre Grande, in the lead-up to the April 28 General Election. She actively supported the party during its successful election campaign.
Yesterday, however, she refuted claims that her endorsement of the UNC before they assumed office was the reason for her union’s successful negotiations.
“That’s the takeaway people want to put out there, but what he (Elder) essentially said is we have fought, we stood against the odds. We stood our ground, rejected four per cent and today, the PSA and our membership are reaping the rewards of that,” Thomas said.
“That is their view and opinion, but today my members are happy.”
When asked if the wage hike would encourage public servants to improve their productivity, Thomas referred to her Labour Day speech, where she rallied public sector workers to do their part, but also said that critical challenges of staffing meant workers could only do the best they could with what resources were available.
“I also made reference to the fact that while public officers are blamed for the shortfalls within the various ministries, what has to be taken into consideration is provision of resources,” she said.
“Throughout the public service, every ministry and every unit is understaffed and under resourced and that’s the reality, so we can’t ignore that reality and then place blame on workers.
“So, until we treat issues of short-staffing and the lack or absence of resources, we can’t just talk productivity because it’s a good topic, we have to talk all of the things that are subsumed in creating a productive environment.”
Main features of the agreement signed off on with the CPO by the PSA
• ↓10 per cent wage increase
• ↓Consolidation of Cost-of-Living Allowance (COLA) for both periods
• ↓New salaries in the month of January 2026
• ↓Allowances with effect from January 1, 2014
• ↓Advance on arrears on or before the 23rd of December, 2025
