During the years of the Anguilla Revolution, Teachers in particular bore the brunt of the burden, ensuring that they stayed - that is, the majority of them - endured the hardships, the uncertainties, not knowing whether the move would be successful or not. We had one belief in the God of Heaven, our patriotism or love for the Rock, that the Revolution would, by God’s help, be successful. Anguilla’s future was our main priority; the meagre salaries which we received in those days were of secondary importance; our charge, that is, our pupils’ and students’ future, meant more than anything else to us.

When I recall teachers like Isa, Daisy, Averil, Roslyn, Alma and the list can go on and on, I wonder, how they manage to exist on the meagre pensions they now receive. I am amazed, judging from the pension I now receive as a Retired Graduate Principal who retired at the maximum of the Principal’s scale. But today with Anguilla’s economic boom we, the early retirees from the service, are in most cases, unable to exist. The cost of living in Anguilla has escalated to such a height that our pensions can hardly buy the basic commodities to live even above the poverty line.

Anguilla has opted for the higher end of the Tourism Industry and with this decision, the cost of living has increased for all and sundry. Government having made this decision, not thinking of the financial implications on its retirees. Next month, God’s willing, will make twenty-one years of retirement and as a graduate and principal, retired at the maximum of the salary scale. I was only able to achieve a pension of two thousand dollars. One can imagine what the pensions of the teachers named above received. On the contrary, today teachers entering the teaching service receive practically twice as much as I received when I retired in March, 1987.

As teachers we have and continue to have to lay the foundation for lawyers, doctors, ministers of religion and Ministers of Government to name a few.

It appears to me, fellow pensioners, and particularly teachers, that as soon as we have reached the young age of fifty-five (55) we are cast aside and thrown out as garbage. There are, as government has broadened its scope, a number of Statutory Bodies, which have increased over the years. Teachers in particular, with their vast experiences, are ignored in almost every case. In some cases, regulations for certain boards are broken to satisfy the Ministers’ whims and fancies.

I have hitherto, like John the Baptist, been crying in the wilderness, but unlike John the Baptist, I have been unsuccessful with my mission. In actual fact my mission bears some similarity to John’s, in that he was trying to assist the people of his day with their spiritual welfare; whereas, in my case, I was trying to assist my fellow pensioners with their physical welfare.

I have therefore decided to change tactics in asking all public service pensioners and ESPECIALLY TEACHERS, TO WAKE UP, stand up and be counted, or else we will completely trampled during Anguilla’s ECONOMIC BOOM. One may ask, how are we going to do this? The simple answer is for us to form the ANGUILLA PENSIONERS’ ASSOCIATION, NOW. Make our case and DEMAND THAT GOVERNMENT hears and respond to our demands.

I can recall very vividly that in May 1972, I led the Anguilla Teachers Union on the only strike the Union made since its legal inception in 1961 when it was registered. The then Anguillian Leader would tell me, as President of the Union, to carry the strike to the hilt, while at the same time be arranged with the authorities to have the services of all SIX PRINCIPALS- INCLUDING THE LATE Edison L. Hughes – to have us sacked. However, when I produced the Union’s legal document at the meeting these dismissals were rescinded.

It is unfortunate that Anguillian workers will not bind themselves in a Union. It is HIGH TIME that Anguillians realize what they are losing. “UNITED WE STAND , DIVIDED WE FALL.” Fellow Anguillians, I am here sounding a serious warning to the present and future generations of Anguillian workers. Thinking about your PENSIONS is thinking of your future. Now, back to the point.

Economic growth and old age pensions are inextricably linked, and because Anguilla has opted for the upper end of the Tourism Industry, civil servant’s salaries have not kept pace with the escalating cost of living as there is a wide gap between salaries of public servants and the private sector. The Anguillian community is forced to adapt to the prevailing circumstances as far as the economic situation exists.

It is imperative that Government examines the pensions of former civil servants especially those who retired before the boom of the twenty-first century. I have on more than one occasion written to the Hon. Chief Minister and his Excellency, one as late as November 2007, and to date I have not received a response from neither of the officials.

Because of the foregoing I am perforced to issue this article in The Anguillian, humbly making the following suggestions:

a. As I see it, there is the need for Case Study for public servants, especially those of us who retired from the service before the economic boom of the twenty-first century.

b. The possibility of a cost of living allowance to those of us who retired before the economic boom of the twenty-first century.

c. Increases in pensions should, if they are to have any relevance in today’s world, be based on the increase at the point in the scale from which they retired and NOT calculated on the meagre pensions they are receiving.

d. During the latter part of 2007, the Government of the United States Virgin Islands voted a sum of four million United States dollars to its civil service.

e. With the expansion of the public service, as well as the increases in the number of Statutory Bodies, teachers in particular are completely ostracized as if they are of no worth. Let me reiterate that over forty years ago teachers stood firm, thus being the bedrock of the Anguillian Revolution. Fellow Anguillian, “ungratefulness is a curse”.

f. I sincerely hope that the powers that be understand the causes and effects which have prompted me to write this article. As such I have no qualms of whom it hurts. I have hereby expressed my feelings as a true Anguillian who have paid my dues to the Anguillian cause. I could have left Anguilla and gone to the United Kingdom, but no, I felt duty bound to stay in Anguilla and help advance the youth of this Rock. I sincerely hope that during my sojourn in life, I would have left the world a better place than I met it.

Finally, public pensioners let us rise up and demand our dues for the service we paid to the Government of the Rock. Now let us receive the maximum benefits of our labour hoping that we receive a positive answer to our justified claims.

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