Senior Reporter
rhondor.dowlat@guardian.co.tt
Members of the T&T Police Service are concerned that their Christmas will not be too festive, as they are yet to receive the backpay promised by Finance Minister Colm Imbert.
Speaking with the Guardian Media under strict anonymity yesterday, a senior police officer claimed that although salaries are scheduled to be paid out on December 19, some police officers had already received their pay slips electronically and they did not reflect the promised backpay.
“So some police officers showed in their pay slips that backpay was not included this month. We hearing though that some slips showed the calculated backpay and it seems as though these slips were all recalled but some officers would have downloaded it,” the officer said.
“We just want to know why and where is our backpay. Some of us have bills to pay off and some of us, like myself, usually do charity around this time and try to help people who have come to me asking for help for little food hampers. Now I can’t do this for them because it seems like we not getting backpay maybe until January I am hearing.”
Another officer, who also wished not to be identified, said neither he nor his colleagues had gotten any feedback on whether they will get backpay.
“We don’t know what going on and if we will even get it for Christmas. We hearing the Finance Division close these days but salaries should be paid by the 19th.”
Contacted on the issue yesterday, T&T Police Service Social and Welfare Association president Gideon Dickson said whilst the association also wants to know what’s happening with backpay he was hopeful that it will be paid on December 19 or 22 with their salaries.
“We are also looking to see what happening. We are waiting with abated breath,” Dickson said.
“Nobody has gotten backpay yet as far as I know because nobody really got paid yet. Pay is scheduled for the 19th or 22nd of this month and what I can simply say is that I know that the Finance Branch right now is working overtime and beyond overtime.”
Earlier this week, Minister Imbert also said backpay for approximately 30,000 public servants, which he had promised in his 2024 Budget presentation, was still on track. However, he admitted that the Commissioner of Police had reported to him that there were difficulties with the accuracy of information for the police backpay process.
The T&T Prison Service, T&T Fire Service, the T&T Police Service and the T&T Unified Teachers’ Association (TTUTA) had all signed off on the Government’s 4 per cent offer.
When contacted yesterday, a teacher, who wished not to be identified, said some people had seen it while others had not.
“Some teachers are saying they saw backpay reflected on their pay slips, which is available before pay day.
Others said they didn’t see anything but the 4 per cent increase.”
Meanwhile, Trinidad and Tobago Unified Teachers’ Association (TTUTA) president Martin Lum Kin said they were hopeful they would be paid “what is rightfully due to us” together with our salaries on December 19.”
Last month, former permanent secretary at the Education Ministry Kurt Meyer was transferred after he reportedly wrote to Minister Dr Nyan Gadsby-Dolly, alleging that the backpay payments could not be calculated and paid by the promised December deadline, and suggested a more feasible timeframe was by May 2024.