PUBLIC Services Association (PSA) president Leroy Baptiste has maintained that the government’s four per cent salary offer for public sector workers is “unfair, unjust and unacceptable.”

But he said any decision by the PSA to accept or decline the offer “in time” will be put before the union’s general council.

Baptiste was responding to the Fire Services Association’s decision to accept the government’s four per cent offer.

The association’s executive (first and second divisions) accepted the offer on Friday after an emergency meeting with Chief Personnel Officer (CPO) Dr Darryl Dindial.

A statement from the CPO’s office said the association signed a memorandum of agreement covering salary increases for 2014-2016 and 2017-2019.

Apart from the salary increase, the association also signed off on improving allowances and revising some current benefits applicable to its members.

These include allowances for protective suit maintenance, house and meal, travelling and facilities among others.

In a Sunday Newsday interview, Baptiste said he believes unions are settling because they fear being forced into the ten-year agreement, implemented by a Cabinet-appointed special tribunal, that would have taken away their ability to collectively bargain from 2020 and beyond.

“Therefore, unions have opted for ‘live to fight another day kind of thing’ rather than risk the imposition of a ten-year settlement,” he said.

[caption id="attachment_1019494" align="alignnone" width="1024"] NUGFW president general James Lambert -[/caption]

“That’s why people have been signing. They rather take a six years because they, in fact, will be able to continue to collective bargain for the next four years rather than have the special tribunal impose and take away from them the right to collectively bargain for them for the period 2020-2024.

Baptiste added, “Due to that all the unions would have essentially opted for accepting what still remains an unfair, unjust, unacceptable four per cent with a view of ‘live to fight another day’ and they would continue to settle the 2020-2024 period via collective bargaining.”

Saying he bears no ill feelings for the unions that have accepted the offer, Baptiste said from where he sits there are other fundamental issues that must be addressed.

“We (PSA) are still in the court and as much as I would stand for a principled position, I don’t readily accept that the special tribunal has that power. So those things have to be treated with at the court.

“I am still of the firm view that it is manifestly unfair to impose this four per cent on workers. It has no business whatsoever in treating with the workers’ issues. And even worst than that is the fact that they are not consolidating the cost of living onto workers’ salaries. But I will always be guided by my general council at the end of the day.”

Baptiste acknowledged that some members will be inclined to accept the offer “because its real people and it must be difficult for public officers to see all around them persons essentially hav