The Grenada government has come in for criticism after it failed to pay August salaries to public servants on time.
A brief government statement over the weekend gave no indication when salaries would be paid and Finance Minister Nizam Burke is in Trinidad on official business.
But the Tillman Thomas-led administration has promised an update on the situation later this week.
"I want to express my own empathy with the circumstances of these public workers," said former tourism minister Peter David, noting that there already exists high unemployment in the country.
"(It is) a sad day when that happens," he added.
The main opposition New National Party said teachers were forced to begin the new school term on Monday without salaries.
"This crisis will put a damper on the start of the school year as both teachers and students are being directly affected," said NNP's shadow education minister Delma Thomas.
"Many parents have said they cannot send their children out to school on the first day of the year," Thomas said.
This is the second time this year that the estimated 4,000 public servants have not been paid on time.
In June, there were similar concerns after public servants salaries were delayed by a week and several employment projects suspended due to a lack of funds.
"It was quite unfortunate that we didn't have the regular pre-opening of school de-bushing programme that provides an income for many" said David, who resigned from Thomas' cabinet in May amidst internal wrangling.
Media reports in Grenada say the government is considering borrowing funds from the National Insurance Scheme to pay public servants.
Source: jamaicaobserver.com
This is a down right despicable act by the Hon. Tillman Thomas administration to not pay the public servants their salaries on time. No one in their right mind would try to defend this abuse and disregard for the workers and the children who are to return to school in September. Many students were unable to return to school on Monday the first day of the new school year. Its the first time this has happen to our workers, not even Hurricane Ivan was able to prevent them from receiving their salaries on time.
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By: Pastor Winston Garraway 9/8/2012 4:22:59 PM
Once again it appears that Peter David is now trully alligned to the cause of the NNP opposition party by his comment quote (i want to express my own empathy with the circumstances of the public workers and joining him is also the spokeperson for the NNP now it seems that the opposition nnp will say /do any thing to divert attention to their own past problems when it comes to public servants not getting their pay on time but forgetting to remember when our teachers had to wait months for their saleries under the nnp when they were in government and that brings me to ask this question is Peter David now batting for the leadership of the nnp party and is he now showing his real colour now that he is flying with the john CROWS,yes we are watching and waiting David and we do hope that you dont forget when you first won that seat under the Ndc banner the then winning party the NNP did all they could at the time to un seat you on the grounds they claim you holds dual nationality thus disqualifing you from holding such seat and now today it appears that you are hobnobbing with the same birds of a feathers hell bent on disrupting/destroying the positive advancement being made in our country by your banding with these opposition ship jumping bandits.
Mr David ,Mr Church,Mr Gill and others the grenadian people/voters entrusted into your hands through an ndc mandate in 2008 to look after the wellbeing /interest of our people and steer our country away from years of inparty fighting and political divisions in our country and they elected you and others into office without knowing what the real agendas were and today it appears that by the recent behaviour of you and some of your fellow want away gangs is now behaving no different from that of Bernard Coard and others except without blood.
one love
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