The five-year wait by hundreds of police officers for improved salaries, terms and conditions of service came to an end on Monday when president of the Police Service and Social Welfare Association Insp Anand Ramesar signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Chief Personnel Officer Stephanie Lewis.
The historic signing ceremony, which was held at La Boucan, Hilton Trinidad Hotel and Conference Centre, St Ann’s, Port-of-Spain, is for the period 2011 to 2013.
Ramesar confirmed they had accepted the CPO’s latest offer of 14 per cent.
He explained that this figure represented a 16.4 per cent market shift and that by way of settlement, the association had agreed to 29 per cent of that figure in the first year, with 57 per cent to be paid for the second year; by the end of the third year, officers would have received 85 per cent of the overall figure, totalling 14 per cent.
Revised allowances and other benefits will also be improved for both first and second division officers of the Police Service.
Declining to reveal any further breakdown, Ramesar said acting Police Commissioner Stephen Williams had promised that the new salaries would be paid effective September.
Ramesar is also anticipating that backpay will be paid during the months of October to December, with active officers being among the first to receive their money, while retired officers will have to wait a bit longer.
Pressed to say what had caused the turnabout as the matter had been previously referred to the Industrial Court, Ramesar said, “It had become necessary, for T&T and the TTPS, that the issue of compensation be brought to a close as we move forward.”
Asked about the outcome, Ramesar said a decision could be reached although the matter had been referred to the court.
He said in this case, the onus was on the CPO to inform the court that a decision had been arrived at, following which the case would be withdrawn—as had been the case with their last salary negotiation.
Uncertain if this had been reported to the court, Ramesar said this would be done by today.
Ramesar admitted that the outstanding negotiations had had an impact on the commissioner’s strategic plan to fight crime across the country.