Days before this country was due to head to the polls to select a government, the Defence Force concluded its salary negotiations with the Chief Personnel Officer (CPO).
However, while they were able to close off the pay and special allowances negotiations on Friday, officers will still have to wait a bit longer for their money as the agreement has to be ratified by the Cabinet. In a release, Civil Military Affairs Officer Major Al Alexander confirmed the successful negotiations for the period January 1, 2011, to December 31, 2013.
The TTDF Pay Review Committee was led by president Captain Darryl Daniel and vice-president Commander Daryl Dindial. The committee was directed by the Office of the Chief of Defence Staff to focus on the operational side of the Defence Force and the various challenges affecting the front line troops.
Several of the proposals were approved to treat with Special Missions outside of Trinidad and Tobago for Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief and Peacekeeping Missions. Additionally, travel-related allowances, and allowances to retain pilots and aviation engineers were also approved.
Looking into the future, there was also an agreement to further review and discuss proposals relating to the Defence Force Reserves and additional key operational allowance proposals. In concluding the signing ceremony, Major General Kenrick Maharaj acknowledged the collaborative efforts of the Ministry of National Security, the CPO, and the Pay Review Committee as he emphasized “the integral role that each entity played in treating with the Force’s fulfillment of the second principle of war, the maintenance of morale for its troops, who continue to sacrifice for a better Trinidad and Tobago.”