CBC pay inequities addressed, says minister

(CNS): Four years after the immigration department and customs merged into the Customs and Border Control Service (CBC), some officers will be getting a pay rise to regularise all staff salaries, which is part of a commitment management had made to resolve the pre-merger salary inequities within the services. Officials said in a press release that pay discrepancies existed within particular job categories, though no details were given about which categories were affected or the pay gap that is being plugged.

The move was approved by the Ministry of Border Control, the Portfolio of the Civil Service and the Deputy Governor’s Office, and the money came from the Ministry of Labour in the 2022 budget.

“The officers of CBC are dedicated and hard-working civil servants who serve in critical roles which allow our economy to continue to thrive and flourish,” said Deputy Premier Chris Saunders, who is responsible for border control and labour. “Without these officers, the public could not buy groceries, import vehicles or household goods or travel.”

Saunders said that when he was in opposition he had publicly supported the salary adjustments, and now as the minister responsible for customs and finance, he had secured the funds in the first full budget under his term to sort out the pay issues.

Commending the work of the CBC, the minister said that from 2019 to 2022, the service collected over CI$835 million in revenue, processed more than 1.35 million people at the airport and made 115 arrests for prohibited and restricted items.  

“These large numbers speak to the depth and breadth of the work, the pressures CBC officers are under, and their dedication to their job. This salary grade increase is a small way to show that they are valued, we recognise them for what they do, and they should be properly compensated for it. The officers work tirelessly enduring long hours to protect our border while we are home with our families or asleep in our beds,” Saunders added.

Affected staff members will sign new employment agreements under the Salary Regularization Initiative, which was within the scope of the merger project when CBC was initially formed. It is fully budgeted for in the 2022-2023 budget and is consistent with the internal job evaluation results and internal equity formulas within the CBC ranks, officials stated. Staff members were informed of the salary adjustments through an internal memo from the CBC director, and the adjustments are retroactive to 1 January 2022.

Deputy Governor Franz Manderson also justified the need to level the pay playing field and lauded CBC officers for their role on the front line during the COVID-19 pandemic, when they facilitated imports even though travel was restricted.

“Officers were also deployed to serve in other areas during the height of the pandemic, and they stepped up when their country needed them to,” Manderson said. “As we transitioned out of the pandemic and normalcy returned, the officers shifted their approach and again assumed responsibility for securing our borders as we welcomed travellers to our shores.”

The deputy governor noted that CBC officers have also been at the forefront of managing the recent migration crisis, handling the irregular landing of hundreds of Cubans. “Officers continue to play an integral role in strengthening our national security strategy,” Manderson added as he endorsed the pay hike.