THERE is no doubt that the CSA, Teachers Union and firefighters must be respected both from a remunerative and acceptable working environment. Additionally, responding on time to various institutions by the GNT is paramount. At this moment, we are not prepared to pass judgement but feel obliged to offer our observations under the present circumstances. For the last 15 years we have shared the concerns that our schools require attention, mold infestation at various public offices and salary increases which are all understandable. To the best of our knowledge, civil servants were advised in 2014 that government intended reducing their salaries by five percent based on the state’s finances and no unhappiness was manifested. The current administration has been in office just over two years and they are expected to wave a magic wand by having our schools brought to acceptable levels, likewise all government offices and fire service stations included.
Only six months ago the governament embarked on a major project to address the police headquarters, fire service departments and criminal courts only to be obstructed by a restraining court order commanded by the National Trust. Unfortunately, these are the pitfalls of democracy successive administrations must endure despite the importance of addressing our burning issues. St. Lucia is by comparison a poor country with limited resources and can ill afford to tackle a number of projects all together as government needs to focus on foreign investment to enhance the nation’s cashflow to administer these ongoing concerns.
We all need to refrain from politicizing these issues but by the same token many unbiased and level-headed individuals remain concerned when a number of services decide to take such actions together, taking into account a bomb scare at the Tapion School during that period. It is always felt that perception is 99 percent of reality hence the feeling that all these ongoing sick outs are viewed with skepticism in an effort to destabilize the country for political reasons bearing in mind that Cyprian Montrope, Claude Paul, Julian Monrose have their personal political allegiances. Incidentally is it at all possible that the series of attempts consisting of demonstrations, motions of no confidence, CSA protests, fire service demands, Teachers Union disgruntlements and bomb scares all within a six-month period are usual or unusual? Food for thought… We must be honest with ourselves and understand that all these actions will only bring the country down.
– Ulric W. Price