RAMBALLY AGAINST SALARY INCREASES

CCNTV6

One opposition MP says now is not the time for high office holders to be living off the fat of the land while their own constituents and citizens whose taxpayer dollars will be footing the wage increase struggle to survive.

Transcript

00:00Hefty increases proposed by the Salaries Review Commission in their latest report

00:05are being given the thumbs down by one member of Parliament.

00:09The SRC recommended it, it did not mandate it.

00:13So the government can choose whether it takes the advice of the SRC or it can choose, you know,

00:19I am saying any person with the smallest bit of conscience or common sense will stop a minute.

00:26The lowest income earners right now in the country, they have gotten no raise

00:31or if they have gotten any, we are talking about minimal raises,

00:36the highest income earners based on this SRC report now stands to get a fat increase.

00:41So common sense would tell you that maybe a little bit of restraint will be good here.

00:47And MP Ramboli will be walking the talk if the opportunity arises.

00:52I am not in favour of it and if this SRC report laid in the Parliament is debated

00:58and it has to go to a vote, if it has to go to a vote, I will be voting against it.

01:03He says members of the public and more so the recipients of the tens of thousands of dollars a month increases

01:10need to ask themselves one critical question.

01:14Do they deserve it? Are they working?

01:16Can any member of the government satisfactorily stand up with confidence and say,

01:22listen, I deserve that pay rise at this point in time because I am performing well

01:27and all is well in Trinidad and Tobago? And the answer to that is clearly no.

01:32Could the Minister of National Security get up and say that crime is under control?

01:37I am the line minister.

01:38The Prime Minister's salary if approved will go from $59,000 per month

01:44to $87,000 per month with $1 million in back pay,

01:48while most of the public are struggling to survive with a mere fraction of that, the MP laments.

01:55So if now is not the time for such an increase, when is the right time?

02:00If you have largely outstanding negotiations, which negotiations settled satisfactorily,

02:08I think where you can have the lower income earners seeing that their dollars stretch

02:16in terms of they being able to manage their rent, their vehicle, or if they don't own a vehicle,

02:21their transportation costs. I think if you can see that, you know,

02:24children are able to access the basic amenities, their parents can afford that.

02:28If our basic standard of living for the lower income earners are such that they are living comfortably,

02:35I'm not saying that they are living rich.

02:37If they are living comfortably, I think that is a good place to start.

02:41Ravishree Tamwari, Rubna Rai, TV6 News.

Category

Transcript

Be the first to comment

Recommended