~Union says delay tactic being applied~

PHILIPSBURG--The "necessary research" to "find the financial room" to pay civil servants and teachers the 2010 cost of living adjustment is currently taking place General Affairs Minister Sarah Wescot-Williams and Finance Minister Hiro Shigemoto informed the Windward Islands Teachers Union (WITU).

In an undated letter received by the union on January 23, the two ministers said the payment of the cost of living adjustment for 2010 was not included in the draft 2012 budget due to financial constraints. "Regretfully, the initial approval last year to pay the 2010 cost of living, was not preceded by the analysis of its financial feasibility that needed to be done as the budget 2012 was not yet up for discussion. Hence, the required financial evaluation that underpins this policy was not executed timely," it was stated in the letter.

"Given this unfortunate sequence of events, the government wishes to honour its original commitments to pay the 2010 indexations. However, this will have to take place by means of a budgetary amendment. The necessary research to find the financial room to make this possible is currently taking place. This will take some time and we therefore cannot beforehand give an exact payout date," the letter read.

"We will however keep you informed as we also acknowledge that timely discussions must be initiated about the continued feasibility of this manner of indexation."

Elshot said the union needed concrete information to give to its members. On the issue of the financial evaluation, Elshot said this seemed to be a delay tactic being applied by government. She said sooner or later the unions and their members will have to take to the streets because this seemed to be the only language that government understood. The union will be meeting among themselves to discuss these matters.

In their letter to the union, the two ministers said that the union in a letter to government dated January 11, made reference to a "promised" meeting between the Council of Ministers and the advisory body GOA. The ministers said while the Council is willing to entertain a meeting with the GOA, it had no official record to show that such a request had been made. "As is customary, requests for such meetings with the Council of Ministers including points to be discussed are to be submitted in writing.

However, Elshot said the issue of the meeting is being twisted around. She said it was Wescot-Williams who had informed the GOA verbally that she will be meeting with them when she returned from a trip to The Netherlands recently. She said this is the meeting that the union, which is also a member of the GOA, had been referring to.