As Saint Lucians grapple with higher electricity bills and fuel costs, the Government has begun issuing retroactive salary payments to senior public servants and parliamentary and constitutional office holders, with payments scheduled over three business days.
An October 28 Finance Ministry memorandum says the Accountant General’s Department has commenced payments for senior management in Grades 19 to 21 and parliamentary and other constitutional offices under the Salaries Review Commission’s 2026 report.
The payments coincide with mounting concern about electricity costs and ongoing discussions between Government and LUCELEC over additional assistance for consumers. Proposed measures include a temporary halt to disconnections, but the Government’s October 26 announcement gave no date for that protection to take effect.
The memorandum, signed by Permanent Secretary Francis Fontenelle, identifies the retroactive payment period as April 2011 to March 2026. It says verified and audited claims will be processed in batches ending October 30, with adjustments for salary overpayments and underpayments.
It does not state the total cost to taxpayers, the amounts payable to individual recipients or how many people will receive payments in this phase.
The salary review recommendations announced in August provided for a cumulative 20.3 per cent increase covering April 2011 to March 2026, followed by further adjustments in 2026 and 2027, bringing the recommended overall increase to approximately 23 per cent.
The Government’s case for those adjustments rests on the lengthy period without increases for the affected offices. Reporting on the parliamentary announcement indicated that senior management and the political directorate had not received salary increases since 2011, while public officers in Grades 1 to 18 had received separate negotiated adjustments.
For consumers outside those categories, however, the immediate pressure remains the cost of meeting recurring household expenses.
LUCELEC’s September fuel surcharge stood at 35.6 cents per kilowatt-hour, surpassing the previous 2026 high of 31 cents in May. The company attributed the increase to higher generation fuel costs and warned that customers could continue facing elevated charges into October.
Consumer Welfare Minister Emma Hippolyte acknowledged the burden earlier this month, saying: “And I know we’ve had significant pressures, especially now on the cost of your electricity bill.”
She said the Government was continuing to examine whether further assistance could be provided.
The squeeze also extends to the fuel pump and cooking gas.
Gasoline and diesel increased by 50 cents to EC$17.25 per imperial gallon in September. Refills for 20-pound and 22-pound cooking gas cylinders rose by EC$2 to EC$36 and EC$40 respectively.
Government subsidies are keeping those prices from climbing further during the October 26 to November 15 pricing period. The administration says it is absorbing EC$1.15 per gallon of gasoline and EC$2.50 per gallon of diesel, along with more than half the unsubsidised cost of the smaller cooking gas refills.
The Government has acknowledged that absorbing those costs places pressure on public finances. It says discussions with LUCELEC will continue through the Consumer Affairs Department to identify further measures to ease the burden.
While the memorandum sets out when eligible senior officials should receive their back pay, households seeking additional electricity relief are still awaiting comparable details: when assistance will begin, who will qualify and what protection it will offer.
