06-18-2007, 02:11 PM
Tuesday 19th June, 2007
PSA Office, Nuku’alofa, TONGA
After months of trying to meet with the Prime Minister, Dr. Feleti Sevele, as Signatory to the 2005 Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between Government and the Public Servants, to discuss issues which Government has breached and failed to fulfill in the MOU, the Prime Minister at long last finally made contact with the PSA but only through his public announcement in the TV Tonga news on Tuesday 05th June saying that the Public Servants’ salaries including the pay increases have become permanent.
Unfortunately, after receiving a copy of a circulated letter of the Chairperson of the Public Service Commission (PSC) to all Public Servants last Friday, 15th June, back dated to the 05th of June, prompted the PSA to get a copy of the Cabinet Decision No. 594 of 01st June, 2007 referred to by the Prime Minister in his TV announcement and quoted in the letter of the PSC Chairperson. The PSA found out that the Prime Minister had lied to the Public and the Public Servants when he announced that their salary increases have become permanent because he omitted to mention the last part of the Cabinet decision. The last part of the Cabinet decision stated that the salary is considered permanent “until further reviews recommended otherwise”. The letter of the PSC Chairperson in quoting the Cabinet decision also omitted the last part of the Cabinet decision but later in the same letter on a different subject mentioned that the salary reviews will take place early next year. Now, where is the permanency of the salaries that the Prime Minister has referred to when our salaries may change again in July 2008?
It was obvious that the main purpose of the Prime Minister’s public announcement was to mislead the Public and entice the PSA Members not to continue to push for their rights under the MOU, which not only include the salary increase but also the establishment of a more democratic Government. The Prime Minister and the PSC Chairperson forgot that the Cabinet decision is a circulated document to all the concerned Ministries and the Public Servants who are PSA Members would be accessible to them.
On the 28th May 2007, after trying unsuccessfully to meet with the Prime Minister, the PSA submitted to him and Cabinet a report of their survey conducted early this year confirming (1) that 100% of the Public Servants wanted their 2005 pay rise to continue for another two years whilst Government completes the Public Service Salary Review which Government was supposed to have completed before the 01st July, 2007 or let the current pay rise become permanent; (2) 98% of the Public Servants wanted the political reform for a more democratic Government; (3) 94% of the Public Servants agreed with the model recommended by the Parliamentarian National Committee for Political Reform chaired by the late Prince Tu’ipelehake (as opposed to the Prime Minister’s model) to be used for the political reform; and (4) 92% of the Public Servants wanted the political reform to take place in the next General Election in 2008.
Receiving the results of the survey must have prompted Cabinet to make the decision on the 01st June, 2007 to consider the salary increase permanent “until further reviews”. Cabinet, however, had ignored the recommendations by the PSA to cancel Prime Minister’s model for political reform as 94% of the Public Servants voted for the model recommended by the Parliamentarian National Committee for Political Reform chaired by the late Prince Tu’ipelehake; and for the political reform to be implemented during the General Election next year for a more democratic Government to be established.
The PSA is appalled at the Prime Minister’s continued refusal to meet to discuss the MOU and lying openly in public in his desperation to win over the Public Servants. We herewith confirm that whenever Government breaches the MOU since after it was signed in September 2005, the PSA has written to Cabinet but they had never bothered to acknowledge our concerns or solve the problems. But in the spirit of reconciliation as agreed to in our MOU, we have encouraged our Members to ignore the discrimination actions and unfair treatment and strive to move forward in peace and good faith with respect, trust and fairness. But the Prime Minister has now gone too far!
The PSA is even more appalled that the Prime Minister has also ordered the TV & Radio Tonga last Friday 15th June (the deadline for a respond from Cabinet to our recommendations) forbidding them to announce on air anything that is politically related (including the discussions in Parliament which has been broadcasted every evening for so many years), in his efforts to ensure that the public would not know what they are doing in Government forgetting that the truth will always reign in the end.
The PSA does not accept any press statement by the Prime Minister and the fact that our salaries are still not secured. The PSA will also continue to insist, on behalf of the 92% of the Public Servants, for the political reform to allow a more democratic Government to be established after the General Election next year, as the current political system was the main core of the problem that has caused our 2005 strike and all the other problems relating to alleged corruptions in Government over the past 20 years.
This unacceptable behaviour and stubbornness by the Prime Minister and Cabinet is similar to what they did before the 2005 strike. Only this time, the PSA will make sure that all doors in the Kingdom have been exhausted to avoid any industrial action! The PSA will now, in return, ignore the Prime Minister and take our grievances to a higher level, i.e. Parliament and King, for consideration.
Attached please find a copy of our letter to the Prime Minister yesterday for your information.
PRESS RELEASE PREPARED BY THE PSA EXECUTIVE BOARD
For more information, please contact the PSA Secretary General at the above-stated address.
P.O. BOX 2005
Fanga
Nuku’alofa
TONGA
Telephone: + (676) 28-838/52-899
Email: psa_secretary@yahoo.co.nz
PSA Office, Nuku’alofa, TONGA
PRIME MINISTER LIED TO THE PUBLIC
HAS FORCED THE PSA TO TAKE THEIR GRIEVANCES
TO A HIGHER LEVEL
HAS FORCED THE PSA TO TAKE THEIR GRIEVANCES
TO A HIGHER LEVEL
After months of trying to meet with the Prime Minister, Dr. Feleti Sevele, as Signatory to the 2005 Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between Government and the Public Servants, to discuss issues which Government has breached and failed to fulfill in the MOU, the Prime Minister at long last finally made contact with the PSA but only through his public announcement in the TV Tonga news on Tuesday 05th June saying that the Public Servants’ salaries including the pay increases have become permanent.
Unfortunately, after receiving a copy of a circulated letter of the Chairperson of the Public Service Commission (PSC) to all Public Servants last Friday, 15th June, back dated to the 05th of June, prompted the PSA to get a copy of the Cabinet Decision No. 594 of 01st June, 2007 referred to by the Prime Minister in his TV announcement and quoted in the letter of the PSC Chairperson. The PSA found out that the Prime Minister had lied to the Public and the Public Servants when he announced that their salary increases have become permanent because he omitted to mention the last part of the Cabinet decision. The last part of the Cabinet decision stated that the salary is considered permanent “until further reviews recommended otherwise”. The letter of the PSC Chairperson in quoting the Cabinet decision also omitted the last part of the Cabinet decision but later in the same letter on a different subject mentioned that the salary reviews will take place early next year. Now, where is the permanency of the salaries that the Prime Minister has referred to when our salaries may change again in July 2008?
It was obvious that the main purpose of the Prime Minister’s public announcement was to mislead the Public and entice the PSA Members not to continue to push for their rights under the MOU, which not only include the salary increase but also the establishment of a more democratic Government. The Prime Minister and the PSC Chairperson forgot that the Cabinet decision is a circulated document to all the concerned Ministries and the Public Servants who are PSA Members would be accessible to them.
On the 28th May 2007, after trying unsuccessfully to meet with the Prime Minister, the PSA submitted to him and Cabinet a report of their survey conducted early this year confirming (1) that 100% of the Public Servants wanted their 2005 pay rise to continue for another two years whilst Government completes the Public Service Salary Review which Government was supposed to have completed before the 01st July, 2007 or let the current pay rise become permanent; (2) 98% of the Public Servants wanted the political reform for a more democratic Government; (3) 94% of the Public Servants agreed with the model recommended by the Parliamentarian National Committee for Political Reform chaired by the late Prince Tu’ipelehake (as opposed to the Prime Minister’s model) to be used for the political reform; and (4) 92% of the Public Servants wanted the political reform to take place in the next General Election in 2008.
Receiving the results of the survey must have prompted Cabinet to make the decision on the 01st June, 2007 to consider the salary increase permanent “until further reviews”. Cabinet, however, had ignored the recommendations by the PSA to cancel Prime Minister’s model for political reform as 94% of the Public Servants voted for the model recommended by the Parliamentarian National Committee for Political Reform chaired by the late Prince Tu’ipelehake; and for the political reform to be implemented during the General Election next year for a more democratic Government to be established.
The PSA is appalled at the Prime Minister’s continued refusal to meet to discuss the MOU and lying openly in public in his desperation to win over the Public Servants. We herewith confirm that whenever Government breaches the MOU since after it was signed in September 2005, the PSA has written to Cabinet but they had never bothered to acknowledge our concerns or solve the problems. But in the spirit of reconciliation as agreed to in our MOU, we have encouraged our Members to ignore the discrimination actions and unfair treatment and strive to move forward in peace and good faith with respect, trust and fairness. But the Prime Minister has now gone too far!
The PSA is even more appalled that the Prime Minister has also ordered the TV & Radio Tonga last Friday 15th June (the deadline for a respond from Cabinet to our recommendations) forbidding them to announce on air anything that is politically related (including the discussions in Parliament which has been broadcasted every evening for so many years), in his efforts to ensure that the public would not know what they are doing in Government forgetting that the truth will always reign in the end.
The PSA does not accept any press statement by the Prime Minister and the fact that our salaries are still not secured. The PSA will also continue to insist, on behalf of the 92% of the Public Servants, for the political reform to allow a more democratic Government to be established after the General Election next year, as the current political system was the main core of the problem that has caused our 2005 strike and all the other problems relating to alleged corruptions in Government over the past 20 years.
This unacceptable behaviour and stubbornness by the Prime Minister and Cabinet is similar to what they did before the 2005 strike. Only this time, the PSA will make sure that all doors in the Kingdom have been exhausted to avoid any industrial action! The PSA will now, in return, ignore the Prime Minister and take our grievances to a higher level, i.e. Parliament and King, for consideration.
Attached please find a copy of our letter to the Prime Minister yesterday for your information.
PRESS RELEASE PREPARED BY THE PSA EXECUTIVE BOARD
For more information, please contact the PSA Secretary General at the above-stated address.
P.O. BOX 2005
Fanga
Nuku’alofa
TONGA
Telephone: + (676) 28-838/52-899
Email: psa_secretary@yahoo.co.nz
