We're just one pay check away from that 6% pay raise which the Government promised to teachers and public officers, which will be retroactive to April 1.
So, all teachers and public officers are looking forward to that increase in their pay, but it seems that it's not as simple for the employees of the KHMH. Because hospital is run a statutory body, the current reasoning seems to be that they are not entitled to that raise.
Today, the Chair of Board spoke with us about the intervention they've made with the Government to get a clear picture as to why those public officers working for the hospital might not be eligible for that raise:
Chandra Nisbet-Cansino, Chairman, KHMH Board
"I don't have all of the information. I am made to understand that a discussion was made with the union and the members of those who will be receiving the increase. I understand that they actually and I stand to be corrected here that the unions actually ask that the K.H.M.H. staff be excluded because that will increase the amount, because remember that there is a certain amount that is being divided by a certain amount of employees. We have about six hundred employees on staff. So the fact is yes, they are not included in the automatic increase of public officers, we were made aware of that pretty soon after the decision was made or after the meeting was held. So the board took the initiative to write to the Ministry of Finance that the staff of K.H.M.H. be included in the increase."
Mike Rudon, Ch 5
"But the staff of the K.H.M.H. they are public officers?"
Chandra Nisbet-Cansino
"They are public officers but we are a statutory body and I understand that no statutory body is included in the automatic increase, it is basically for public officers. So Karl Heusner is in a very unique position that while we get a significant subvention from the ministry and that goes primarily to staffing and paying our wage bill. It seems that we are a statutory body and hence we are not included in the group of public officers that fall under the government."
Nisbet-Cansino tells us that the Ministry of Finance has not gotten back to them as yet on that position with KHMH. The letter was sent last week.
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