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Prime Minister, Dr. Ralph Gonsalves, said that public workers, nurses and police officers, have had extra ordinary improvements in their working conditions under his administration.

Dr. Gonsalves, who was delivering the feature address at the opening ceremony of the 46th Annual Conference of the Caribbean Public Service Association (CPA), held at the Russell’s Auditorium on 17th July, told those gathered that although conditions had improved there was still much more to be done, which must be done in solidarity with one another.

Prime Minister Gonsalves also said that it was understandable that there would be a tension between demand and resources, “but when that tension occurs our government is always willing to go the extra mile, but I do not run a government only for the public servants,” he said.

He further stated that he had to have a balance, and this country suffered tremendously from the global economic crisis, and prior to that, the removal of the banana preferences.

He noted that there was also a real challenge coping with the fallout from CLICO and BICO's demise, which amounted to 17% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), of this country, and the natural disasters which occurred between the period 2010-2013, amounting in damage in excess of 40% of the GDP of this country, yet we are still standing. He added that 60% of the recurrent expenditure of this country is paid in salaries and wages and retirement benefits for public servants.

“Now, the only way I can reasonably increase that percentage or the quantum, if not the percentage, is by 'growing the pie' a little more, which means I have to do a lot of infrastructural work and put the country on a sustainable path of development," the Prime Minister stated.

Also touching on the topic of solidarity from an historical background, he said that in the 1930's there were anti-colonial uprisings across the Caribbean, and what struck him was the fact that among the demands of all the leaders in these countries, was that we must have a university of the West Indies. "We are talking about workers who didn’t finish primary school, peasants who could not read and write, but their leaders said to them we have to look to the future and education is vital and we must have a university.

He also said that what was interesting was that they were in solidarity for a number of things but when you read the Moyne Commission Report, which came out after the war, it indicated that there was a persistent demand for a university, not only from the leaders themselves but from ordinary people whom they met.

Making reference to the offspring of the struggles in the context of solidarity, he said that political parties and trade unions emerged and also the University of the West Indies (UWI).

Business sessions for the conference will end on Friday 22nd July.

Source:  API