Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley announced yesterday that her Government will pay civil servants a five per cent, across-the-board increase in wages and salaries for the period April 1, 2018 to March 31, 2019.
This will cost Government approximately $60 million.
While acknowledging that public servants had to forgo salary increases over the last ten years, Mottley however noted that her Government could not agree to any increase for those previous years.
She however stressed that the payment which would be the Government’s single biggest expenditure, represents its commitment to labour.
Meanwhile, as promised in the Barbados Labour Party’s manifesto for the May 24 general elections, the two-week-old Mia Mottley-led administration will raise the minimum non-contributory pension from $155 to $225 per week.
“Protection of our pensioners will cost approximately $18 million,” said Prime Minister Mia Mottley in making the announcement in Parliament during her presentation of a mini-Budget.
According to the Barbados Today online news, she explained that the relativities will be maintained for minimum contributory pensions and survivor benefits and invalidity benefits within the National Insurance Scheme (NIS) which will treat to the new pensions expenditure separately.
