The announcement was made on Thursday, July 17th, during the unveiling ceremony of two new firefighting vehicles for the Saint Lucia Fire Service.
Prime Minister Pierre revealed that the PWA had accepted the proposed terms, which include a 13 percent wage increase spread over two triennial periods: 2022 to 2025 and 2025 to 2028.
"I want to announce to you this morning that I am told that the Police Welfare Association has agreed to the terms and the conditions of work, and they will sign the collective agreement," the Prime Minister stated.
"So we have completed and closed negotiations for all the protective services, all the allowances, all the necessary increases of 13 percent for the protective services, fire service, police. We've closed it, and I'm very pleased that good sense has prevailed."
This development comes one month after the Government of Saint Lucia signed historic collective agreements with several key public sector unions and staff associations. The landmark signing, held on June 16th, marked the first time a sitting prime minister had been physically present for such an event.
Under the agreement, police officers and other public servants will benefit from the following salary increases:
For the 2022–2025 triennium:
- 2% increase effective April 1, 2022
- 2% increase effective April 1, 2023
- 2% increase effective April 1, 2024
For the 2025–2028 triennium:
- 2% increase effective April 1, 2025
- 2% increase effective April 1, 2026
- 3% increase effective April 1, 2027
Beyond wage increases, the agreements include progressive clauses aimed at improving working conditions across the public sector. These include compensation for teachers handling CXC SBAs, allowances for temporary teachers during the August preparation week, extended maternity leave, and structured professional development for medical personnel.
The Police Welfare Association had been one of three staff associations that initially held out on the agreement, placing it at odds with the government's efforts to reach consensus with all stakeholders. Their recent agreement brings closure to negotiations with all of Saint Lucia’s protective services.