BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – HUNDREDS of individuals erupted into cheers last evening (Sept. 18) when Prime Minister the Rt. Hon. Dr. Denzil L. Douglas made three major announcements which would see increases in wages for some and for others, the forgiveness of debt owed to the St. Kitts Electricity Corporation Limited (SKLEC).
Prime Minister Douglas stood before a packed Cricket Stadium at Warner Park and delivered his address at the Independence 31 parade.
The last announcement made by Dr. Douglas was that debt owed to the SKLEC by households prior to its transition to a corporation in 2011, would be totally written off.
“I know that many of our low income families have struggled with huge electricity bills as we were forced to remove the subsidy to energy consumption under the strain of high bills and fiscal imbalance. In cognisance of this problem, we encouraged SKLEC immediately after it was formed, to give extended periods for people to pay their arrears even as they kept current in respect of current consumption.
“Many of our people, they have struggled but have fallen behind and suffered the embarrassment of their electricity supply being disconnected. It is therefore with a sense of relief that I announce today, independence day 31, that all arrears…for electricity by households that relate to the period prior to the establishment of SKLEC in 2011, would be written off…and would therefore not be collected.
Dr. Douglas said SKLEC is to adjust the relevant customers’ bills appropriately “with immediate effect”.
The Minister of Finance also announced a considerable increase in the minimum wage.
“We are a nation on the move and we are determined that as our country continues to expand our workers, they must share equitably in that expansion. And so consequently I am pleased to announce tonight that the government of St. Kitts and Nevis has approved an increase in the minimum wage of our workers from $320 per week to $380 per week with effect from 1 November 1, 2014.”
Hours later however, while delivering greetings at Camp Springfield, the Prime Minister indicated that sometime during the course of today, a correction would be made a circulated with regard to the information he gave about the minimum wage increase.
Since then, a press release issued by the St. Kitts-Nevis Information Service (SKNIS) informed that the minimum wage will now sit at $360 per week or $9 per hour.
Prime Minister Douglas indicated that the senior citizens of the Federation stand to benefit and from increases in pension packages.
“We are acutely aware that their (the aged) hard work helped to lay the foundation for the economic expansion that we are experiencing now. We must celebrate with our aged and our retired persons.
"Hence it is with much pleasure that I announce tonight, the first day of our independence 31, that the Cabinet has approved an increase in Social Security pensions with effect from July 1, 2014. Specifically, minimum-age pension will be increased by 7.5 percent from $400 dollars to $430 per month and non-contributory assistance pension would be increased by two percent to $255 per month.
"Moreover all other pensions awarded in any year before 2010 would be increased by six percent. Pensions awarded in 2010, in 2011 and 2012, would be increased by 2 percent further. Pensions awarded in 2013 would be increased by one percent. And these increases are scaled such that the pensions awarded before 2010 enjoy a higher increase than those awarded more recently because the recent awards would have been based on more recent salaries and would therefore would have been relatively higher than those awarded in earlier periods.”
