Williams cites 7.5% salary rise from increments as unions reject gov’t wage offer

Finance Minister Fayval Williams says the movement of up to three increments in the salary scales for eligible public sector workers will amount to an increase in basic salary of approximately 7.5 per cent for "most persons" this fiscal year.

Her statement on Monday comes amid rumblings in the public sector following reports that the Government's wage offer does not include increases in basic salaries for the 2025-2026 financial year, which started on April 1 and will end on March 31 next year.

She said the decision to allow movement of up to three increments in this fiscal year was reached through discussions with the Jamaica Confederation of Trade Unions (JCTU).

Williams contrasted the new arrangement with the system in place before reforms to public sector compensation in 2022. Under the old system, only one increment was granted annually and only if an employee scored 75 per cent or more on the Performance Management and Appraisal System.

“Some ministries, departments, and agencies have already made the payments to their public sector workers, and other entities are working toward effecting the payments in keeping with the timeline to pay by the end of this month,” Williams said.

She noted that the adjustment forms part of the Government’s broader effort to improve the public sector compensation framework.

“This increase has been agreed even as we continue to explore the method by which performance should be assessed,” she said.

Williams further assured that the ministry will maintain dialogue with public sector unions and associations to refine the compensation structure.

“The Ministry of Finance and the Public Service will continue to engage with the various unions and associations across the public service to refine the compensation structure in a way that is fair, transparent, and aligned with the need to ensure fiscal sustainability,” she said.

The minister's statement comes amid concerns from some unions representing public sector workers over the pace of, and proposals made so far by the ministry in negotiations for a new wage deal.

The JCTU says it has rejected the Government's four-year offer, which proposes no increase in basic salaries in year one and 2.5 per cent in each of the next three years.

"We expressed our disappointment with the offer. We recognise that it is early stages, but because of that, we asked for a meeting so that we can set the proper tone. ...We're uncomfortable with not only the offer, but we don't know the expectation of the ministry, and we believe that enough time has elapsed. Our members are getting sort of uneasy," said JCTU president St Patrice Ennis.

Ennis said the proposal from the JCTU was for a two-year deal with salaries to be increased by 25 per cent — 15 per cent in year one and 10 per cent in the second year.

He said the ministry made its offer on June 6, which was in response to the JCTU's proposal.

The JCTU, which represents 11 public sector unions covering more than 40,000 public sector workers, rejected the offer on June 13.

The issue of increments was a sticking point between unions and the government following the implementation of the new compensation system. Unions had pushed for the payment of increments for the period 2022 to 2025.

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