STATEMENT
BY
HONOURABLE PHILIP J. PIERRE
PRIME MINISTER AND MINISTER FOR FINANCE, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND YOUTH ECONOMY AND MINISTER FOR JUSTICE AND NATIONAL SECURITY
AT
THE END OF YEAR MEDIA BRIEFING
18 December, 2024
When elected in 2001, my government promised to put the people of Saint Lucia first. We called all Saint Lucians to put their shoulders to the wheel and work together to grow the economy.
Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the world economy has experienced unprecedented price increases due to production shortfalls, supply chain issues, and international conflicts. These price increases have also been felt right here at home.
In Saint Lucia, we are not price makers but instead are price takers. It is painful to note the impact that imported inflation has had on families, especially single parents and the elderly.
Since 2021, we sought to cushion the impact of these price increases on the people of Saint Lucia.
- We have increased the taxable allowance to $30,000 per year, which means NO Saint Lucian worker getting $2500 or less pays any income tax.
- We have for two years made one off payments to government pensioners.
- We have also increased the NIC pensions from a minimum of $300.00 to $500 monthly.
- NIC has increased its monthly payments to its pensioners.
- No Government pensioner now earns less than $750.00 monthly, again another increase.
- We have implemented the Minimum Livable Wage of $1131 monthly. This was a historic achievement that has demonstrated our commitment to improving the welfare of the workers in the country and assisting in coping with the rising prices referred to earlier.
- We continue to subsidize basic food stuff including LGP cooking gas.
- We removed the service charge on basic food stuff.
I have encouraged the Government negotiating team to expedite the negotiations with public servants. I am informed that the Government negotiating team and the trade unions have agreed on all allowances and benefits and have now agreed on a 13% wage increase for the period 2022-2028.
A tax-free back pay will be paid in February 2025.
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You will note that this is a six-year period. This is remarkable and a powerful statement of confidence and trust in the public servants of Saint Lucia.
I had hoped that we would have completed negotiations early enough for all affected workers to receive their back pay for Christmas. However, we were not able to achieve that date. I think that all public sector workers do deserve to receive some compensation for their patience and understanding.
On my request, the Cabinet of Ministers has agreed to the payment of a one-off bonus of $500 to every public sector worker. This means that the 12,381 workers on the government’s monthly payroll will receive this bonus before Christmas.
I sincerely hope that all public sector workers will see such payment as a statement of our faith in their commitment to the progress of our beloved country.
We will continue to work together to grow our economy, face our challenges vigorously and collectively create a better life for all.
I wish everyone in Saint Lucia season’s greetings and a prosperous 2025.
I thank you.
