St. George’s, August 31, 2012 – For the second time in two months, hundreds of government workers are receiving salaries later than scheduled.

The late August salary payment is particularly stressful for parents with school-age children. Many budgeted for the money to buy uniform and supplies for the reopening of schools on Monday, September 3.

In a four-paragraph, 70-word statement Friday, the Ministry of Finance expressed government’s regret “that the payment of salaries to public workers due today, August 31, 2012 has been delayed.’’

The statement promised that “government will provide an update on the payment of August salaries by early next week, and repeated “regrets’’ at the “inconvenience caused by this delay and is working to resolve this difficulty in the shortest possible time.’’

The ministry said, however, that payments already had been made to government pensioners and beneficiaries of public assistance.

At the end of June, salaries due to government workers were also delayed.

Prime Minister Tillman Thomas, in an address to the nation Tuesday, admitted to “challenges’’ facing his government, but said the country is “busy’’ producing its way to “prosperity.’’

Caribupdate News, in a radio broadcast Friday, said “Grenada has been struggling all year through a fiscal deficit crisis.’’

The Miami-based media outfit, which also publishes internet news and commentaries, said “the financial crisis adds to the political headache of the Tillman Thomas administration, which is avoiding total collapse of the regime for the time being by avoiding a parliamentary sitting.’’

Caribupdate News quoted observers in St. George’s as saying that it’s “the state of the economy more than politics that might force the government to reconvene the parliament. One opposition MP said it is his view that the government will need parliamentary approval for the extension of its overdraft facilities by October.’’