The Dominica government says public servants including teachers are to receive millions of dollars (One EC dollar=US$0.37 cents) in backpay following the conclusion of salary negotiations.
Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit said the negotiations were concluded last month with the Dominica Public Service Union (DPSU) and the Dominica Association of Teachers(DAT) for the period 2021-2024 and 2024-2027.
He said that the agreed-upon salary measures have come info effect starting this September and that public officers will receive an eight per cent salary increase, three per cent in 2024/25, two per cent in 2025/26, and three per cent in 2026/27 over the 2024-2027 period. Skerrit said in addition, back pay totaling EC$2,974,064.23 will be disbursed by November 2025.
He said effective this month teachers will receive salary increases on the same schedule, along with new allowances to support their work.
Skerrit said that the government has committed to the payment of a new resource allowance, and they will receive back pay amounting to EC$1,051,589.57, scheduled for disbursement in October 2025.
He said effective July 2025, the Police Welfare Association (PWA) had also agreed to an eight per cent increase over the 2024-27 Triennium.
According to Prime Minister Skerrit, officers across the board are receiving a monthly risk allowance of EC$250 from July 2025 along with financial support to the PWA. He said back pay of EC$465,334 was also paid to the officers in May, 2025.
‘Our public officers and our teachers are the backbone of national development, and we are happy to have reached this agreement with both parties,’ Skerrit told reporters, adding ‘I thank the leadership of the DPSU and the DAT for their constructive engagement throughout this process, and I salute all public officers and teachers for their service to country’.
Meanwhile, trade unions here have launched a trade union congress (DTUC) under the theme ‘Consolidating Trade Union Power through Unity and Solidarity’
The TUC brings together the DPSU, the DAT, the Dominica Amalgamated Workers Union (DAWU) and Waterfront and Allied Workers Union (WAWU).
Director of the International Labour Organization (ILO), Joni T. Musabayana (DBL), said that the launch of the DTUC ‘is no small achievement,’ saying ‘it is the beginning of a new chapter for the workers of Dominica.
‘This step strengthens workers’ representation in the country. It also strengthens your voice in the Caribbean, and in the wider international labour movement.’.
‘Unity is not only about standing together. It is also about being effective. No single union, however strong, can on its own shape the national agenda. A united congress gives you a stronger seat at the table of social dialogue. It allows you to speak with one voice in defence of workers’ rights. It makes it possible to influence policy, to negotiate better conditions, and to stand firm against injustice.’
The DTUC is headed by Steve Michael Joseph of the DPSU.