PRESIDENT of the Police Service Social and Welfare Association ASP Gideon Dickson said accepting the Chief Personnel Officer's (CPO) four per cent offer was a strategic move of taking less than police are worth in hopes of getting a better offer for a second negotiating period.
Speaking with Newsday on Friday after the official signing of the wage agreement, Dickson said the agreed on period of 2017-2019 has long gone and with the 2020-2022 period still to be negotiated, it was better to accept the four per cent offer now, understanding the economic climate of the country.
'We are not saying that we would have gotten just due for the period taken place in terms of what we are valued but, what we will say is that we got the best out of a bad situation, knowing fully well that better lies ahead.'
Friday's signing came after the association received a mandate from the membership, agreeing to accept the offer last November.
In his budget presentation last year, Finance Minister Colm Imbert said the government was only prepared to offer a four per cent wage increase for 2014-2019.
The offer was accepted by the Amalgamated Workers Union on August 29 and in November the Defence Force accepted the offer. The Defence Force was the first member of the protective service to accept the offer.
During his presentation, Imbert said negotiations between four unions - the Prison Officers Association, the Trinidad and Tobago Unified Teachers Association (TTUTA), police and the TT Fire Service Association - and the CPO Dr Daryl Dindial had been sent to a special tribunal of the Industrial Court. He said discussions could go no further adding that the government's offer for two negotiating periods remains on the table for anyone of the unions to accept and end its respective tribunal.
Dickson, on Friday, said his members based their decision on 'the economic information' and the fact that there was another bargaining period 'where potential lies there to benefit greater from.
'Our members, educated and analytical, understanding the variables we are working with, found it in our best interest to do this at this point in time as opposed to fighting for a period that is long gone.'
While Dickson said his union looked at the economic standing of the country to agree to the offer, president of the Fire Association Leo Ramkissoon said the same economic vantage point is the reason to reject the offer.
He said since negotiations began, the Government boasted of increased revenues and yet are still imposing a four per cent offer.
'Our position has not changed and have come to terms that our government, who purports to care about our workers, hastily referred this to the court without a genuine attempt to negotiate a fair judgement.
"Our membership has given us our mandate which is to hold our position and go through the courts and see where that will lead. We cannot accept what will effectively be a wage cut when looking at the increased cost of living.'
He said fire, like all other unions before the CPO wer
