Compensation coming for Hurricane Shelter staff, Long Bay member wants pay increase for volunteers

#Grand Turk, Turks and Caicos Islands – April 3, 2018 – The Government has finally approved payment to shelter managers and workers who have for months been wanting and awaiting compensation.  During House of Assembly convening last week, it was determined that the workers are due some $55,167 and during Holy Week, the application for the money was approved by parliamentarians.  

“This is our fifth contingency fund withdrawal application and this is in relation to the shelter workers.  We have actually laid on the table already several contingency warrants, Mr. Speaker largely, about four of them are related to hurricane expenses. Spending works such as cleaning, fuel, overtime payment which was approved yesterday for those workers who are under the public service ordinance and are allowed to be paid overtime and of course today we are looking at the payment of shelter workers and there is also an arrangement for volunteers who have also been approved,” said Minister of Finance, Hon Sharlene Robinson in laying the supplementary appropriation last Tuesday.

Concern was expressed by several members of the Opposition PNP; one set of comments by the appointed member for the Progressive National Party were expunged from the records due to the strong charge against those in leadership.  Still, the Leeward and Long Bay member was able to make the point that the funds, in her view, should have been included in the January-February supplementary which was as a result of the hurricanes.

“I do have the concerns about the delays and in reading the annex to the report is shows that the request was made in November 2017, a decision was taken in January 2018 to segregate the payments from shelter managers for a final submission that was made in January,” Hon Akierra Missick continued with, “…when we had the major supplementary in January/February of this financial year that the funds for the shelter workers and volunteers should have been considered at that time as that budget was really addressing changing around funding as a result of hurricanes Irma and Maria.”

Four of the five contingency warrants made within the 2017-2018 fiscal period were brought on by the hurricanes, which is estimated to have cost the Turks and Caicos over half a billion dollars in damages and losses.  The Finance Minister objected to earlier charges that she was directly responsible for the payment coming, only now to the shelter workers and stood in the HOA to explain the process, which first had to have Cabinet approval.

“Even though supplementary was passed in January, even though it was submitted to UK in December; it had not been approved in Cabinet to be included in the Supplementary and if you recall the process to us getting here today, this withdrawal warrant was laid on the table of the House it was referred to the Appropriations Committee and then it is included in the Supplementary.”

The Member for Leeward and Long Bay district during her contribution on Tuesday March 27, 2018 also drew attention to the sacrifice of the volunteers and a need, in her view, to boost their remuneration from $12.50 per hour.

“I must also say Mr. Speaker that I hope in the upcoming financial year, the upcoming budget that we look at an increase for volunteers.  A hundred dollars for an eight hour shift, Mr. Speaker while they are caring for others leaving their families and homes exposed or if they were damaged during the storm, not being able to attend to them is not much of an incentive for new volunteers to sign on.”

The Premier, Hon Sharlene Robinson, who laid the contingency warrant in the House of Assembly last week Tuesday invited members to support the application for the extra money to pay the shelter staff.   The Premier also assured that her office will expedite payment for shelter workers and the approved overtime payees as soon as the paperwork arrives on her desk.