PM: 150 new public sector jobs coming

One hundred and fifty new positions will be added to the public sector, increasing the government’s wages and salaries bill by $15 million.

As he laid the Estimates of Revenue and Expenditure in Parliament last Wednesday, Prime Minister Dr Ralph Gonsalves said that there were several factors that have contributed to the 8.6 percent wages increase.{{more}}

The wages and salaries estimates for 2006 were $177,813,895 and now it is set to jump to $193,118,623.

High on the list of these reasons, Dr Gonsalves said, was the reclassification of the public service which is underway. He said that this process will lead to a readjustment of all salaries.

Interventions by trade unions on behalf of workers have netted an increase of 8 percent over the last two years. All this is in addition to the 150 new positions that have been created, the majority being in the Ministry of Finance.

Forty-one new positions will be created to help in the implementation of the Value Added Tax system and for the overall efficiency of tax collection.