05-23-2007, 05:22 PM
PSA PRESS RELEASE
Wednesday 23rd May, 2007
PSA Office, Nuku’alofa, TONGA
GOVERNMENT NOT FULFILLING THE 2005 MOU OBLIGATIONS MAY TRIGER ANOTHER NATIONAL STRIKE IN TONGA
His Majesty’s Cabinet as Signatory on behalf of Government to the Memorandum of Understanding (signed with the Interim Committee on behalf of over 90% of the Public Servants who went on strike in 2005), continuing efforts to ignore the plea from the Public Service Association (PSA) since 2005 to abide by the MOU and invitations for dialogue on issues that have not been fulfilled by Government on the MOU before it expires at the end of June 2007 may trigger another unfortunate national industrial action which may be this time detrimental to the struggling Island Kingdom of Tonga.
As a result of His Majesty’s Cabinet awarding a 65% and 57% pay rise in July 2004 to the Heads of Departments and themselves (Cabinet members) respectively (although the latter did not implement their pay rise for fear of dissatisfaction from the Public Servants) and a pay rise of around 5% on average for the Public Servants in July 2005 (upon the recommendation of the Public Service Commission), the Island Kingdom was paralyzed for approximately six and half (6.5) weeks when approximately 90% of the Public Servants went on strike on the 22nd of July 2005. The first ever national industrial action in the Island Kingdom seeking justice, fair distribution and eventually good governance before the strike ended.
The strike ended with an overwhelming victory by the Public Servants who were on strike signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with His Majesty’s Cabinet on behalf of Government for a pay rise of 60%, 70%, 80%. The Public Servants had believed in the principle of “performance based assessment” as proposed by the incomplete Public Service Salary Review which has caused the strike hence they have agreed for the 60%, 70%, 80% pay rise to be implemented for a period of 2 years whilst the Public Service Commission completes Phases 2 & 3 the Public Service Salary Review so that the revised Public Service salary structure would be implemented by the 01st July 2007.
Since the 27th March of this year, the PSA as Signatory the MOU (the Interim Committee on behalf of the dissatisfied public servants transferred the powers of MOU to PSA in January 2006) has been trying to confirm with the Prime Minister, Dr. Feleti Sevele, as Signatory of behalf of Government whether the Public Service Salary Review is complete so that the revised Public Service Salary structure is ready to be implemented in 01st July 2007 as per the understanding of the MOU.
A reply was received one and half months later on Friday 11th May from the Chairperson of the Public Service Commission, Mrs. Mishka Tu’ifua, stating that Government was not obliged by the MOU to complete the Public Service Salary Review. She also stated that Cabinet has approved for the 60%, 70%, 80% pay rise to continue on into the next financial year superseding the MOU and that the Public Service Salary Review will be conducted in early 2008. She also confirmed that Government has honoured the MOU.
As the Signatory of the MOU on behalf of the beneficiaries, PSA is concerned of their welfare given that the MOU will expire at the end of next month and Government has not complete the Public Service Salary Review to solve the anomalies of 2005. It is also clear that the future of the beneficiaries after the next financial year, i.e. July 2008, is uncertain.
PSA dispute the claim by the Chairperson of the Public Service Commission that Government has honoured the MOU. We herewith confirm that Government has breached the MOU in several occasions. In 2005, upon their return to work after the strike, some of the employees have been discriminated against by their respective Ministers, Heads of Departments or the senior officers who were not on strike. The former Interim Committee on behalf of the dissatisfied Public Servants has written to Cabinet requesting for these problems to be addressed but Cabinet have ignored these requests. In February 2006, Cabinet withheld and canceled some of the benefits of the Public Servants (whose approximately 90% were on strike) claiming financial hardship Government but continue to grant the same benefits of the staff of the Ministry of Police and the Tonga Defence who were not on strike. Note that the staff of the Ministry of Police also received the 60%, 70%, 80% pay rise. The PSA has tried to negotiate with Government on this but Cabinet failed again to be cooperative. The afore-mentioned actions are clear act of discrimination by Government against those where on strike which Clause 5 of the MOU prevented. Since there was no comprise reached in all the afore-mentioned cases, the PSA is seeking for a judicial review to be made.
Government now, through the Chairperson of the Public Service Commission, continues to ignore the PSA and the beneficiaries of the MOU by claiming that they were not obliged to undertake the Public Service Salary Review in the 2-year period of the MOU. It is obvious that Government since the end of the strike, although granted the agreement on the pay rise, they had continued to punish the Public Servants because of the strike by not abiding to the other agreements in the MOU where they have been discriminated against at the workplace by some of their Ministers, CEOs or senior Public Servants who were not involved in the strike; made sure that those Public Servants who are in the leadership team of the PSA are disadvantaged at the workplace; and had avoided talking to the PSA directly as the Signatory of the MOU.
Given that Government clearly (1) cannot abide by the agreement in the MOU that the “the two parties discussed the various aspects of the proposed solutions for the relevant issues that had been raised an they were guided by the principles of mutual respect, trust, fairness and moving forward in peace and good faith”; (2) did not fulfill its obligations to complete the Public Service Salary Review for the new salary structure to be implemented on the 01st July 2007; (3) have breached the MOU resulting in uncertainties in its decision making in the future relating to the benefits and salary of the beneficiaries of the MOU; (4) uncertainties in the Prime Minister’s public speeches relating to the MOU which had raised insecurities in the beneficiaries, the PSA as the Signatory of the MOU has requested to Government through their Signatory (Cabinet) to extend the MOU for another 2 years thus giving them time to complete the Public Service Salary Review.
It should be noted that the Prime Minister and the Chairperson of the Public Service Commission has declined the invitation by the PSA to discuss and/or negotiate on the request to extend the MOU. The PSA has again submitted another request two and half weeks ago to the Signatory (Prime Minister) on the MOU on behalf of Government for a meeting before the 23rd May, 2007 to present the results of a survey conducted by the PSA early this year on the views of the beneficiaries on this matter and other issues relating to them. The meeting requested with the Prime Minister was to stage the last plea by PSA on behalf of the beneficiaries on the request to extend the MOU. The meeting was not granted hence we will submit in writing the Report of our survey next week to the Prime Minister for consideration of the recommendations we had made. We will give him until the 15th of June to respond.
Lastly, it should be noted that Government stands to loose nothing by extending the MOU but it will certainly reduce the insecurities in the beneficiaries of the MOU which is conducive to improving their performance at work and also ensure their welfare for the future.
PRESS RELEASE PREPARED BY THE PSA EXECUTIVE BOARD
For more information, please contact the Secretary General on the above-stated address.
Wednesday 23rd May, 2007
PSA Office, Nuku’alofa, TONGA
GOVERNMENT NOT FULFILLING THE 2005 MOU OBLIGATIONS MAY TRIGER ANOTHER NATIONAL STRIKE IN TONGA
His Majesty’s Cabinet as Signatory on behalf of Government to the Memorandum of Understanding (signed with the Interim Committee on behalf of over 90% of the Public Servants who went on strike in 2005), continuing efforts to ignore the plea from the Public Service Association (PSA) since 2005 to abide by the MOU and invitations for dialogue on issues that have not been fulfilled by Government on the MOU before it expires at the end of June 2007 may trigger another unfortunate national industrial action which may be this time detrimental to the struggling Island Kingdom of Tonga.
As a result of His Majesty’s Cabinet awarding a 65% and 57% pay rise in July 2004 to the Heads of Departments and themselves (Cabinet members) respectively (although the latter did not implement their pay rise for fear of dissatisfaction from the Public Servants) and a pay rise of around 5% on average for the Public Servants in July 2005 (upon the recommendation of the Public Service Commission), the Island Kingdom was paralyzed for approximately six and half (6.5) weeks when approximately 90% of the Public Servants went on strike on the 22nd of July 2005. The first ever national industrial action in the Island Kingdom seeking justice, fair distribution and eventually good governance before the strike ended.
The strike ended with an overwhelming victory by the Public Servants who were on strike signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with His Majesty’s Cabinet on behalf of Government for a pay rise of 60%, 70%, 80%. The Public Servants had believed in the principle of “performance based assessment” as proposed by the incomplete Public Service Salary Review which has caused the strike hence they have agreed for the 60%, 70%, 80% pay rise to be implemented for a period of 2 years whilst the Public Service Commission completes Phases 2 & 3 the Public Service Salary Review so that the revised Public Service salary structure would be implemented by the 01st July 2007.
Since the 27th March of this year, the PSA as Signatory the MOU (the Interim Committee on behalf of the dissatisfied public servants transferred the powers of MOU to PSA in January 2006) has been trying to confirm with the Prime Minister, Dr. Feleti Sevele, as Signatory of behalf of Government whether the Public Service Salary Review is complete so that the revised Public Service Salary structure is ready to be implemented in 01st July 2007 as per the understanding of the MOU.
A reply was received one and half months later on Friday 11th May from the Chairperson of the Public Service Commission, Mrs. Mishka Tu’ifua, stating that Government was not obliged by the MOU to complete the Public Service Salary Review. She also stated that Cabinet has approved for the 60%, 70%, 80% pay rise to continue on into the next financial year superseding the MOU and that the Public Service Salary Review will be conducted in early 2008. She also confirmed that Government has honoured the MOU.
As the Signatory of the MOU on behalf of the beneficiaries, PSA is concerned of their welfare given that the MOU will expire at the end of next month and Government has not complete the Public Service Salary Review to solve the anomalies of 2005. It is also clear that the future of the beneficiaries after the next financial year, i.e. July 2008, is uncertain.
PSA dispute the claim by the Chairperson of the Public Service Commission that Government has honoured the MOU. We herewith confirm that Government has breached the MOU in several occasions. In 2005, upon their return to work after the strike, some of the employees have been discriminated against by their respective Ministers, Heads of Departments or the senior officers who were not on strike. The former Interim Committee on behalf of the dissatisfied Public Servants has written to Cabinet requesting for these problems to be addressed but Cabinet have ignored these requests. In February 2006, Cabinet withheld and canceled some of the benefits of the Public Servants (whose approximately 90% were on strike) claiming financial hardship Government but continue to grant the same benefits of the staff of the Ministry of Police and the Tonga Defence who were not on strike. Note that the staff of the Ministry of Police also received the 60%, 70%, 80% pay rise. The PSA has tried to negotiate with Government on this but Cabinet failed again to be cooperative. The afore-mentioned actions are clear act of discrimination by Government against those where on strike which Clause 5 of the MOU prevented. Since there was no comprise reached in all the afore-mentioned cases, the PSA is seeking for a judicial review to be made.
Government now, through the Chairperson of the Public Service Commission, continues to ignore the PSA and the beneficiaries of the MOU by claiming that they were not obliged to undertake the Public Service Salary Review in the 2-year period of the MOU. It is obvious that Government since the end of the strike, although granted the agreement on the pay rise, they had continued to punish the Public Servants because of the strike by not abiding to the other agreements in the MOU where they have been discriminated against at the workplace by some of their Ministers, CEOs or senior Public Servants who were not involved in the strike; made sure that those Public Servants who are in the leadership team of the PSA are disadvantaged at the workplace; and had avoided talking to the PSA directly as the Signatory of the MOU.
Given that Government clearly (1) cannot abide by the agreement in the MOU that the “the two parties discussed the various aspects of the proposed solutions for the relevant issues that had been raised an they were guided by the principles of mutual respect, trust, fairness and moving forward in peace and good faith”; (2) did not fulfill its obligations to complete the Public Service Salary Review for the new salary structure to be implemented on the 01st July 2007; (3) have breached the MOU resulting in uncertainties in its decision making in the future relating to the benefits and salary of the beneficiaries of the MOU; (4) uncertainties in the Prime Minister’s public speeches relating to the MOU which had raised insecurities in the beneficiaries, the PSA as the Signatory of the MOU has requested to Government through their Signatory (Cabinet) to extend the MOU for another 2 years thus giving them time to complete the Public Service Salary Review.
It should be noted that the Prime Minister and the Chairperson of the Public Service Commission has declined the invitation by the PSA to discuss and/or negotiate on the request to extend the MOU. The PSA has again submitted another request two and half weeks ago to the Signatory (Prime Minister) on the MOU on behalf of Government for a meeting before the 23rd May, 2007 to present the results of a survey conducted by the PSA early this year on the views of the beneficiaries on this matter and other issues relating to them. The meeting requested with the Prime Minister was to stage the last plea by PSA on behalf of the beneficiaries on the request to extend the MOU. The meeting was not granted hence we will submit in writing the Report of our survey next week to the Prime Minister for consideration of the recommendations we had made. We will give him until the 15th of June to respond.
Lastly, it should be noted that Government stands to loose nothing by extending the MOU but it will certainly reduce the insecurities in the beneficiaries of the MOU which is conducive to improving their performance at work and also ensure their welfare for the future.
PRESS RELEASE PREPARED BY THE PSA EXECUTIVE BOARD
For more information, please contact the Secretary General on the above-stated address.