00:00Around 3,000 police officers were initially owed back pay.
00:04While some have received their money, others are still waiting.
00:08Minister of National Security Fitzgerald Hines provided updated figures to the Parliament.
00:13According to information provided by the Commissioner of Police
00:18as of December 15, 2024,
00:22as a result of incomplete personnel records and other related matters,
00:28there are 847 police officers who are yet to receive their back pay
00:35for the collective bargaining period 2014-2019.
00:40It should be noted that the Government has made
00:43and will continue to make all available resources available
00:48to the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service to complete this exercise
00:53and will continue to assist the police service to finalize this matter wherever possible.
01:01Hines says the delay is in part due to issues surrounding the computation of sick leave, etc.
01:06and the availability of those records.
01:09As it pertains to retired police officers, he states that 198 of them
01:14have not received their gratuity payments.
01:17Kovu South MP Rudranath Indarasinghe asked for an update on an arrangement
01:22for these officers to receive an initial pension sum of $3,500.
01:27If any of these officers are in receipt of this $3,500 sum.
01:38I cannot answer that with any specificity, Madam Speaker,
01:43but I would be surprised if, as we had made arrangements to pay $3,500
01:48in lieu of the final computations, if this was not being done. Thank you.
01:53Minister Hines also reveals that there are 125 retired members of the TNT Defence Force
01:59awaiting gratuity and pension payments as at December 15, 2024.
02:05The files of 75 persons are under active review by the Ministry's Internal Audit Unit.
02:12While the remaining 50 are currently at processing stages
02:17at the Auditor General's Department and or the Ministry of Finance.
02:22As for immigration.
02:24The Chief Immigration Officer has advised that as at December 15, 2024,
02:30there are no technical or administrative officers within the Immigration Division
02:37that are awaiting receipt of terminal benefits, pension and gratuity so meaning.
02:46According to Hines, the government is taking the same approach with the police
02:50as it is doing with the Defence Force in making resources available
02:54to complete the ongoing payment exercises.
02:57Alicia Boucher, TV6 News.
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