PSU President ZERO public sector workers will contribute to planned pension fund

Union leaders also took on the issue of pensions. As you will know, pensions are regular payments to retirees. In this case, after a protracted process of documentation, teachers and public officers receive this money periodically after years of service. Now, a proposal by Government is that the pension scheme should be contributory, similar to how the Social Security program currently works. In speaking on this issue, PSU President Dean Flowers said that Government ought to get that notion out of its head: public sector workers will not pay into yet another scheme. Here’s how he explained it. 

Dean Flowers, President, Public Service Union: “No public officer currently employed in the public service is to contribute to any pension fund. No public officer currently in the public service is to contribute to any pension fund, no teacher, no police officer, no coast guard, no public sector worker will contribute to any pension fund and the Ministry of Finance needs to get that street in their head. So whenever it is that they rush the establishment of this pension scheme which the Prime Minister informed that he wants to roll out by April the 1st 2023 it must be aimed and geared at those who will come into the service thereafter because as a leader we will ensure that nobody in this current public service contributes to such a scheme. Furthermore for those young public officers listening who may come into the service thereafter I warn you if this administration does not put in place a proper pension scheme which is managed by any other individual other than the government I do not encourage you to pay into the black hole called the consolidated revenue fund because your pension will be in problems especially with the kind of leadership we have had over the last 20 years in the ministry of finance. And so we await to see what will be proposed by the financial Czar the Honorable Minister of State also known as the real Minister of Finance and we will report back to you the membership where that is concerned.”