Some reinstated public sector workers in St. Vincent are accusing the government of reneging on campaign promises after discovering they received far smaller bonuses than expected.
Workers who returned to their posts under the New Democratic Party (NDP) administration said they were promised EC$1,500 to EC$2,000 (US$555–740) during last year’s election campaign, but salary slips show payments as low as EC$125 to EC$166.67. Close to 100 reinstated workers appear worst affected, receiving as little as one-twelfth of the promised amounts.
The discrepancy comes after a January 26 government memo clarified that public servants who did not work the full year in 2025 were ineligible for the full bonus — a detail absent from the NDP’s news conference announcing the payments. Prime Minister Dr. Godwin Friday, Attorney General Louise Mitchell, and Minister of Health Daniel Cummings all spoke at the announcement.
The controversy touches on a wider issue dating back to November 2021, when more than 500 public servants lost their jobs for failing to take the COVID-19 vaccine. During last year’s campaign, the NDP pledged to reinstate the workers with all benefits intact, citing a March 2023 High Court ruling by Justice Esco Henry, which found the mandate unconstitutional and awarded full pay, benefits, and pension rights to affected employees.
Despite the Court of Appeal overturning Justice Henry’s ruling, the NDP maintained its position that reinstated workers should be treated as if their service had never been interrupted. Unions have appealed the matter to the London-based Privy Council, where it remains pending.
Attorney General Mitchell said the government is enforcing its policy of reinstatement with full benefits, noting that 92 of 100 returning workers have been placed in positions equivalent to their prior roles. However, the reduced bonus payments have caused frustration among the reinstated employees, who say the government is treating them as if their service had been broken.
“Beyond being government policy, it’s the right thing to do, and we want to make sure that those persons who have suffered so much in the past don’t continue to suffer when the government has made a commitment,” Mitchell told reporters.
