Seemingly dancing between the raindrops, Jamaica Police Federation Chairman, Corporal Rohan James, has been sending some mixed, but all concerning signals, in response to similarly unclear positioning from Finance Minister, Dr Nigel Clarke, on the long-vexed question of a wage settlement with rank and file police personnel.
Last Tuesday, Clarke announced in Parliament that the Government plans to invest a billion dollars in the national crime-fighting effort.
Overall, as he outlined, the police are to get $1.8 billion more in the revised budget for the 2021/2022 fiscal year, to purchase motor vehicles and for its stores and armoury.
The sum includes $616 million to conduct general police services.
Clarke then waded into the wage dispute with the lower-ranked cops, saying there is some hope for the salary issues to be settled with the police, as the Government is seeking to fast-track negotiations with the federation over claims for unpaid overtime salaries.
"We look forward to engaging with the police in the compensation revue which we hope to begin in April, or begin with an effective date of April, and to wrap up outstanding matters related to 2021/2022," he said.
"The police represent the backbone of Jamaica's domestic security. The police have the absolute unequivocal support of the Government of Jamaica," declared the finance minister
But that did little, if anything at all, to inspire the federation’s confidence of a resolution in short order, and on Friday James...
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