St. George Grenada – 3rd September, 2012: Former Minister for Finance, Hon. Anthony Boatswain says he empathizes with the thousands of Government workers throughout the tri island state who have been denied their monthly salaries at the end of August. According to Boatswain, the Tillman Thomas Administration has again demonstrated its inability to manage the country’s economy and its blatant lack of concern for Government workers.
The former Minister added that the Government should do everything to immediately meet their financial commitment to these employees and must never abdicate this responsibility as most workers are dependent on their monthly salaries to provide basic needs for their families.
Boatswain has expressed deep concern about the Government’s ability to find the resources, based on reliable information received that the Government has approached the National Insurance Scheme for a bail out. He said this is becoming a dangerous habit and the Government must not feel that it is acceptable to spend recklessly on travelling and incur other unnecessary expenses during the month and then to go begging to find the resources to pay it workers.
According to Boatswain, excessive borrowing from the NIS can pose a major risk for pensioners and beneficiaries in the future. It can negatively affect the ability of the NIS to sustain itself and meet its commitments in the near future if their reserve is depleted.
Boatswain is therefore calling on the Government to immediate convene a meeting of the Parliament to review this financial crisis being experienced by the Government and to put an emergency spending plan in place to avoid similar occurrences in the future. He said no worker should be placed in a situation where they are uncertain that they will be compensated for their labour.
He added that the long term solution to this crisis must be government’s ability is to grow the economy to ensure fiscal sustainability.
