As the issue of the police seeking wages from 2015 up to 2021, the Police Federation states that they are “in it for the long haul” this as members of the Jamaica Constabulary Force, (JCF) staged a protest in Downtown Kingston on Thursday, November 25.
The members say for more than 100 years every police officer wages average on a total of 1,500 and 60 hours for free. This translates to over 1.5 billion hours of unpaid work by the police, a matter that saw the lawmen taking the Government to court.
Rank and file members of the JCF gathered at the entrance of the Supreme Court Thursday morning demanding payments owed. In an open letter to the ministers of national security and finance by the police federation, members sought payments dating as far back as 2008. Each member is reportedly owed an average of $19,500 for 165 months between 2008 and 2021.
It adds that despite an agreement to pay members an additional 10 hours plus their usual 12-hour shifts per week, and members in good faith agreeing to be paid from 2014 to 2021 rather than from 2008, they’ve been notified that claims from 2008 to 2018 will not be pursued.
Instead, only payments from 2019 to present will be made, neglecting ten years of monies owed, worse yet the Government will pay this over a 6 year period.
Chairman of the Police Federation Corporal Rohan James says the Government’s commitment has not been honoured. Corporal James says though they have been disappointed by the outcome of the Supreme Court pre-trial, in the interest of national security he’s imploring members to remain relentless. One onlooker offered sought to show her support for the lawmen.
More in this CVM Live story from Javine Mclean:
