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The Public Service Union (PSU) is raising fresh concerns tonight over what it describes as a failure on the part of the Ministry of Finance to activate a series of approved allowances for frontline public officers. The allowances are benefits that were signed off months ago and are documented in an official memo issued by the Ministry of the Public Service, Governance and Disaster Risk Management. The memo, dated October 6, and addressed to Financial Secretary Joseph Waight, confirms that the Joint Staff Relations Council (JSRC), with the support of the Ministry of the Public Service, approved several new allowances for the National Fire Service, the Ministry of Health and Wellness, and the National Emergency Management Organization (NEMO). However, the PSU says that to date, none of these approvals have been implemented. PSU President Dean Flowers told Love News that workers who operate in hazardous, high-risk environments daily are still waiting for what was formally approved by the Government.
These allowances include $200 monthly Hazard (Danger) Allowance for all firemen; $300 Hazard Allowance; $200 Quick Response Allowance for firemen, EMS personnel, and certified paramedics; $300 monthly Housing Allowance for transferred firemen without provided quarters for the Ministry of Health & Wellness; $200 monthly Hazard Allowance for Assistant Radiographers, Domestic Auxiliaries, Patient Care Assistants, Dental Surgeons, and Dental Assistants. Additionally, there was approval for NEMO Personnel with $150 On-Call Allowance; and $150 Hazard (Wet & Dirty Conditions) Allowance. The memo, signed by CEO Rolando Zetina, requests that these allowances be activated for all eligible officers.
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