I heard through the grapevine that the Anguilla Government was planning a salary increase for its workers, and I also learnt through the grapevine that it had difficulty in reaching a consensus in arriving at a percentage increase among the different grades.

I did not listen to the rumours as I anticipated that they were just rumour, but low and behold, in reading The Anguillian of Friday August 22nd, 2008, I saw the notice in bold letters “SALARY INCREASE FOR GOVERNMENT WORKERS”
Not only was this circular sent to all public service officers but has also appeared on the Deputy Governor’s website and that the Executive Council had considered the report and decided to implement these increases. While I am in agreement with these increases, I have serious objections in the way these increases have been done.

1. The notice reads “SALARY INCREASE FOR GOVERNMENT WORKERS” but the circular says that a consultant was contracted to undertake a “salary revision.” “Salary increase” is different from a salaries revision. To my knowledge a salaries review entails much more than salaries.

2. In a salary revision there must be negotiations among all the stakeholder-consultant, workers, pensioners and Government. Was this done? (I stand subject to correction.)

3. What input did the staff associations have in this process if at all there were any negotiations? I am greatly disappointed with all these associations and in particular the Anguilla Teachers Union. You have made it on par with the labourers in the hotel industry in Anguilla who will not unionize themselves.

4. In a Salary Revision one sees a sliding scale where officers in the lowest grades receive the highest percentage increase; those in the middle grades receive a smaller percentage increase and those in the higher grades receive the smallest percentage increase. To my amazement this revision of salaries is the opposite of this procedure.
e.g. grades A-F get a 25% increase, grades G-M get a 15% increase, and pensioners and wage workers get a 15% increase for the years 2008-2009 and 2010. The grades A-F get 25% and

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