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Chief Personnel Officer Dr Daryl Dindial. - CHIEF Personnel Officer (CPO) Commander Dr Daryl Dindial says the economy does not remain stagnant and a planned meeting with the Public Services Association (PSA) on November 21 to discuss a proposed ten per cent wage increase for public servants will go ahead as planned.
Dindial dismissed claims by PSA president Felisha Thomas about hidden agendas and the talks being stalled.
On November 20, Dindial said the plan to hold talks with the PSA in the last week of November remains in effect. On November 19, government officials indicated the PSA has been invited to a meeting with the Finance Ministry's Investment Division on November 21, where a presentation of the current state of the economy will be made.
Dindial said the economy does not remain stagnant and the meeting will help to set the framework to begin negotiations with the PSA.
"I am not aware what information the PSA has, but I am certain they will not have all of the details on the state of the economy like the Ministry of Finance."
Dindial said, "In fact, even the CPO’s office does not possess all of the information. We rely on the Ministry of Finance's data."
He added. "The question is, why would the PSA not be interested in understanding the deeper challenges affecting our economy?”
Dindial said unions are aware of the established procedure for wage negotiations and have never previously expressed any disagreement or resistance to it.
On Thomas' claims of plans to stall the negotiations, Dindial said the Finance Ministry has already instructed that the talks begin.
“In fact, I spoke with her (Thomas) yesterday on the potential dates to meet.”
Contacted on November 20 about Thomas' claims, Finance Minister Davendranath Tancoo said, "The CPO is the constitutionally established authority responsible for conducting negotiations with the recognised majority unions, in this case, the PSA."
He added, “Although public remarks often form part of the broader dynamics of any negotiation process, I expect that discussions will continue through the proper channels and in accordance with established procedures, in an environment of professionalism and mutual respect.”
In a Facebook video on November 19, Thomas said the union does not want to hear about anything other than the ten per cent wage increase that was promised by the UNC when it meet with the CPO on November 21. The increase was one of the UNC's major campaign promises in the run up to the April 28 general election which it won.
She confirmed the PSA was advised by correspondence from the CPO's office, this meeting was for the union to be given a presentation on the state of the economy.
Thomas said the PSA was not interested in that.
"We do not need you to bring us around the table to give us any presentation on the state of the economy. We are mindful of the state of the economy."
On the November 21 meeting, she said, "We will be meeting to receive that (ten per cent wage) offer and nothing else."
Thomas added, "Ten per cent and nothing else."
During the October 13 budget presentation, Tancoo informed the House of Representatives that, based on instructions from the Prime Minister, he advised the CPO to submit a revised offer of 10 per cent.
Thomas has maintained that the negotiations could be concluded and payments issued by Christmas, arguing that the overall cost of the four per cent increase offered by the CPO in 2022 had already been calculated, making any upward adjustment straightforward.
In a brief comment on November 19, Persad-Bissessar said,"The government is committed to the ten per cent offer to the PSA."
She gave no further details on this matter.
On November 19, former UNC senator and chief economist Taharqa Obika said the roles of Persad-Bissessar, Tancoo and Dindial in this matter were that of company executive or chairman, accountant and human resources department respectively.
"In that structure, the chairman must first give approval, then the accountant has to release the funds for human resources to process and pay the back pay"
In a post on its Facebook page on November 18, the CPO's office provided a detailed outline of its negotiations process with trade unions and associations. The process begins with the union/association writing a letter to the CPO and ends with the signing of a collective agreement or memorandum of agreement once consensus is achieved.
The proposed wage increase will cover the 2014–2016 and 2017–2019 collective bargaining periods. On its page on November 20, the CPO's office presented documents which stressed the importance of a presentation on the state of the economy to this process.
Efforts to contact Thomas were unsuccessful.
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