While speaking in the Private Members section of the House of Assembly, Hon. Rymer said that the complaint about increments being further delayed was made to him by officers of Her Majesty’s Customs.

The Minister said, “I came in the ferry terminal the other day and the Customs officers are complaining.”

Hon. Rymer explained that this was a bureaucratic hold up and not an issue of the government’s doing.

“We still have government workers still stating that they haven’t received any increment as yet. I know this was passed in Cabinet months ago and I tried to explain to them that it’s the process,” Rymer stated.

Therefore, Hon. Rymer called for changes to the process to facilitate the payment of increments.

“I think the process needs to end and each and every government employee need to at least be paid their increment that is awarded to them Mr. Speaker those are some of the things that I just want to put on record,” Hon. Rymer told the House.

During the October 17 sitting of the House of Assembly Premier and Minister for Finance Hon. Andrew Fahie explained that he was also fielding inquiries about the promised public service increment.

“A number of officers are meeting me, asking about their increments, and I am steadily directing them to the Deputy Governor and Director of Human Resources who I have charged with ensuring that Public Officers who qualify receive their increments. I commend them for their efforts,” Hon. Fahie said.

In outlining that the Government had done its part Hon. Fahie stated that during his Budget Address on April 2, after only close to two months in office he announced that his Government was able to massage the estimates to include the payment of two years of increments due to public officers.

The Premier explained that on June 19, Cabinet approved the payment of the 2016 and 2017 increments in lieu of performance increments with the immediate payment of the 2016 increments, inclusive of all salaries from 1st January 2017 to date. A commitment was also made to pay 2017 increments subsequently, but not later than the next budget estimate.

Further Hon. Fahie said that he was advised by the Director of Human Resources that on June 24 the Department of Human Resources provided notice and instructions for processing of the increment for the 2016 work year by way of a Human Resources Circular.

Then in July he said the Department of Human Resources began the process of payment of computed salary arrears and one incremental salary adjustment for vetted officers.

“I have been advised that there are 2,163 public officers eligible to receive the 2016 increment on 1st July 2019. As of 30th September 2019, an estimated 67 percent of eligible officers have received the 2016 increment,” Hon. Fahie further mentioned.