The Police Welfare Association (PWA) are cognizant of inflation and its relevance to salary negotiations.
PWA has sent its salary proposal to the government for the triennium 2018– 2021 but is yet to receive a reply. Chairman of the PWA Jefferson Drigo says “as a result of inflation the purchasing power of the dollar to its membership has diminish considerably since the passage of hurricane Maria the cost of all commodities in the household basket increased considerably with no signs of a possible reduction in the general cost of living.”
“Additionally coupled with a limited disposable income creating a buildup of a credit-culture, it is necessary to make due provision for Police Officers to be able to save a percentage of their salary in order to make provisions for cases of emergencies. The Police Welfare Association has taken all factors into consideration including the state of the economy, government’s fiscal performance, rising inflation and the general increase in the cost of living. Therefore, the PWA hereby proposes the following salary structure for the triennium 2018– 2021,” Drigo stated.
According to Drigo, the duties of a police officer are “insurmountable” and include undertaking duties which expose him or her to a high risk of injury, assault and even death.
“Furthermore the dynamics of policing as an occupation creates opportunities for officers to experience many psychosocial hazards such as stress, depression, divorce, and even communicable diseases. Given the reality of the changing environment, it is almost automatic that more demands are required by police officers. For example, on the 18th of September 2017, Dominica was hit by a category five hurricane Maria, the country was devastated by its impact causing serious infrastructural and economic damage. The police force worked hard and extremely long hours without any rest days afforded to them. Furthermore, their families were left alone while they help restore the proper functioning of the country. It must be underscored that this level of sacrifice and diligent work was done with limited amounts of food, water, and other essential resources. Therefore, it is imperative that the police should be rewarded for their courageous efforts,” he said.
He explained that the Salary structure being proposed for members is as follows are as follows 2018/19-15% for 2019/20-15% and for 2020/21 another-15%
Drigo further states that the emerging role of the police in the “twenty-first century” is one characterized by expansion and change. “To address these inevitable changes of the 21st century, the Police Welfare Association is proposing a modernized workforce that is characterized by an enhanced working environment, an effective performance management system, enhanced training, and career progression to improve the skill set at all levels of the Police Force. Therefore, it is the expectation of the Police Welfare Association that the aforementioned modernized workforce will enable officers to operate from a culture where its member’s performance is aligned with the organizational goals and objectives and members are rewarded commensurate with performance,” Drigo stated.
This article is copyright © 2019 DOM767
