Gov’t would welcome work to rule decision by some public servants

Prime Minister Dr Ralph Gonsalves says that he would welcome a decision by some public servants to go on a “work to rule”.{{more}}

The prime minister, during a press briefing Monday, said while he was out of state recently, a member of the leadership of one of this country’s unions disseminated a piece of correspondence calling on public servants to go on a work to rule over failure to pay the 3 per cent wage increase.

Gonsalves said that he and the people of the country were too serious to be playing those sorts of games.

The prime minister said that in the United Kingdom, there has been an ongoing wage freeze for the past three years, and in the same way, the government has imposed tax increases on a number of items, including fuel.

“There are countries neighbouring us who can’t pay public servants their salary at the end of the month … there are some people, they don’t grasp the enormity of what is taking place out there in the global crisis of international capitalism,” the prime minister said.

They also forget that investments come from those countries and that we depend on remittances and tourists from those countries, Gonsalves said. “I often wonder why some people want to play games? I am not in those games.

“This is a free and democratic country and people can do what they want to do,” Gonsalves said.

“What is interesting about the communication I saw … people must come to work on time and leave when the day is done up to the right hour; don’t take on any extra duties.”

But Gonsalves contended that there are some public servants, including the very ones promoting industrial action, who needed to take their own advice.

“I wish some of them would come to work on time…I wish they would stay until 4 o’clock,” Gonsalves said, adding that sometimes they would be seen leaving work at 3:45 to collect their children from school and never return.

“So please, work to rule … come on time … leave on time … take one hour for lunch; I would love if they take on work to rule,” he said. (DD)