THE NATIONAL UNION of Public Workers (NUPW) says it has made progress in having Government review placing taxes on travel allowances.
“We have had discussions with the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of the Civil Service and the Prime Minister where we put our proposals on the table, and from what we are hearing in Parliament, it would appear we have achieved what we set out to do,” said NUPW president Walter Maloney.
General secretary Dennis Clarke explained that certain members of the public service, such as electoral officers, were being taxed on fixed travel allowances while those with allowances based on mileage were not, which the NUPW thought was unfair.
He added those officers classified within S1 to S5 would still be taxed, but the tax would become pensionable.
Some of the other battles Clarke said the union was fighting were a wage increase for public servants (five per cent in the first year and three per cent in the second); pension being a right; and a response to the proposed wage freeze.
“Given that Government is talking about a wage freeze, we think it should then be contributing to our buyers’ club,” said Clarke.
The trade unionists were speaking to the DAILY NATION after a church service yesterday at St Mathias Anglican Church, Christ Church, in commemoration of the union’s 67th anniversary.
In his presentation, Clarke emphasized the importance of establishing an NUPW medical centre in light of spiralling medical costs.
After the service, he said the NUPW?already had Town & Country Planning permission and was only waiting on service adjustments to meet medical standards.
The centre will be located in Dalkeith as part of the union’s new headquarters, a short distance away from the NUPW’s existing base.
