Ten percent pay rise for public servants in Suriname
|
| Published on Wednesday, May 7, 2008 |
Email To Friend Print Version |
By Ivan Cairo
Caribbean Net News Suriname Correspondent
Email: ivan@caribbeannetnews.com
PARAMARIBO, Suriname; Government officials in Suriname have announced a salary pay rise for public servants with retroactive effect from January 1, 2008. According to vice-president Ram Sardjoe the salary increase comes on top of wage improvements incorporated into a new salary scheme the government is going to introduce for the public sector.
Retirement pensions will also be increased by 10 percent, and disabled persons will receive an extra 25 percent on their monthly allowance.
However, the new wage structure is highly controversial since several public servants' unions are rejecting introduction of the scheme, claiming that, while the new salary regime is aiming at eliminating discrepancies in the current public wage system, it will only create more confusion and increase the irregularities.
 |
|
Suriname Vice-President Ram Sardjoe
|
Sardjoe maintains that, with the increase, 100,000 individuals will benefit, including 37,000 public officials, 19,000 pensioners, 42,000 senior citizens and 4,000 disabled persons.
Minister of Domestic Affairs, Maurits Hassankhan, indicated that the back pay will be implemented in several installments over the course of at least 4 months in order to avoid inflation.
Hassankhan, and Ronald Hooghart, president of the association of public servants unions (CLO), hope that with the pay rise the current unrest in the labour sector will subside.
Hooghart, however, is calling on the government to look at the new salary scheme once more. He argues that implementation should only take place after the system with input from all interested parties has been modified.
Meanwhile, consumers are bracing for a significant increase of fuel prices to be announced this week, while government and bakers’ associations are currently negotiating an increase of the bread price.
Several weeks earlier consumers were confronted with higher bread prices, but due to soaring price of flour bakers are pushing for another price hike for bread.
To secure local supplies the government recently announced limitations for the export of rice, Suriname’s main staple. |
|
