Police Federation accepts Dalley's invitation

The Jamaica Police Federation says it has accepted the Government’s offer to resume wage negotiations.

Horace Dalley, the Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of Finance, who is leading the negotiations for the government, wrote to the Federation yesterday inviting it to attend a meeting scheduled at the Ministry for Friday afternoon.

Meanwhile, chairman of the police federation Sergeant Raymond Wilson has taken issue with the assertion by national security minister Peter Bunting that police personnel have been offered a 6.5 per cent increase in year one and 5.5 per cent in year two.

Bunting explained the increases for both years include a 3.5 per cent annual increment which every JCF member receives.

But Sergeant Wilson says this annual increment is not a new benefit and was already calculated into the level of erosion experienced by cops since their last increase.

He says not every member of the force will be entitled to the incremental increase as an individual can only have six such increases at each rank.

He says this means that a policeman who has already spent six years at a particular rank will not have this increase to look forward to unless he is promoted or is approved for seniority allowance.