National Security stakeholders are welcoming the budget announcement on TV6, set for next Monday October 13th. The Police, Prison and Fire Associations say, settlement of overtime, salary arrears and increases, upgraded facilities and investment in tools and equipment, are top of their budget wish-lists for fiscal 2026. Rynessa Cutting has more.
00:00Certainly, allocations to address the payment of outstanding overtime.
00:22We have some officers who are owed overtime since 2011.
00:27We are also looking at the construction of the new remand prison and subsequent update and restoration of existing correctional facilities, namely the maximum security prison and the Eastern Correctional Rehabilitation Center.
00:47And, of course, we are most interested in an increase in salaries via our negotiations, which, mind you, we are in the second triennial period, which is 23 to 25.
01:09They are still 20 to 22 outstanding.
01:16These are longstanding issues.
01:21For instance, many of our politicians are in need of repairs or rebuilding, and we are hopeful that attention will be given to creating safer, more comfortable workspaces.
01:31We are also encouraging more timely release of budget allocations so we can meet obligations to service providers and also ensure our officers receive their overtime increments and pensions without unnecessary delays.
01:46And in the case of the fire officer, in addition to all of the prison naples officers are exposed to, we then now are exposed directly to carcinogens and other types of chemicals.
02:01So we would, of course, like to see a group health plan that will be able to be able to take care of officers into their retirement, which oftentimes is where the impact is seen.
02:16Presently, what the regulations provide for is that the state, through the consolidated fund, will pay for these medical expenses for fire officers.
02:37But year on year, we are seeing that those line items are inadequately resourced, and as a consequence, it debars officers from being able to be properly treated.
02:48We believe that the government can both remove this burden from the taxpayer by creating a group health plan and ensure that the officers are able to access these services when needed.
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