PM steers clear of adding fuel to salary controversy

While Prime Minister Patrick Manning stayed clear of criticising his Junior Finance Minister Ken Valley, the message was pretty clear at yesterday’s post-Cabinet news conference — Valley had erred when he suggested that the proper  procedure was not employed in approving Petrotrin CEO Malcolm Jones’ salary.

The Prime Minister defended Jones’ $70,000 salary saying it was “in order”. In fact, Manning brought along Chairman of the Public Sector Negotiations Committee (PSNC), responsible for approving the Jones salary, Conrad Enill, who painfully explained how the committee operated.  Enill said that for the past two decades the committee, which has responsibility for monitoring salary and wage negotiations and levels of remuneration in the public sector, including the remuneration of top executives and persons employed on contract, operated with the CPO providing secretarial and advisory services.  Contrary to what Valley stated, Enill stressed that the committee was authorised to take decisions on matters for which it was responsible. While it reports to Cabinet “from time to time” on its activities, “it has not been customary to seek Cabinet’s approval, or ratification of its decisions,” he said.

Manning, who admitted that Jones was his best friend “after my wife of course”, said the Government considered itself extremely fortunate to have his expertise and managerial experience. He said Jones was the only man in the country who had worked in every aspect of the petroleum and energy sector. “His breadth of exposure and experience is great,” Manning said, saying that he did not know of anyone with his experience. “It was in those circumstances that it was our view that the salary afforded to him was quite in order,” he said. Manning pointed out that the person who replaced Jones at Titan Methanol is getting a salary which is “significantly lower” than what Jones received, “and therefore it should not surprise you that the person Mr Jones replaced at Petrotrin (Rodney Jagdai) also had a significantly lower salary”.

Manning said the salaries in the public sector were too low and Government was committed to addressing the issue.  He said this Government’s record in seeking to bring about equity was “almost like Caesar’s wife” — above reproach. But Manning consistently refused to be drawn out on Valley’s statement,  saying that he didn’t want to add any fuel to the controversy. He said last week the Cabinet had a full discussion on the matter — in the context of the question which was asked in the Parliament-  but Valley was in Cuba at the time and therefore was unable to participate. Manning said the six-member PSNC committee — unlike other Cabinet sub-committees — was given delegated authority because of the nature of the issues it considers, though sometimes the committee consults the Prime Minister if the issue is “weighty”. Enill said for all the salaries which came before it — FCB, National Quarries, Civil Aviation Authority — the committee followed the process. “It is the process that allows the system to have integrity,” he said. He added that the committee meets twice monthly. It comprises Lenny Saith, Pennelope Beckles, Martin Joseph, Howard Chin Lee and Knowlson Gift.