Mitchell: Its Not A Matter Of Double-dipping

NASSAU, BAHAMAS – Retired public servants who are re-engaged under the Davis administration will be entitled to their monthly wage as well as their pension, according to Public Service Minister Fred Mitchell who says those employees have a right to collect both. Giorgio Bain reports.

It’s not a matter of double dipping, it’s about obeying the law, according to Public Service Minister Fred Mitchell who defended the decision pay re-engaged retirees a salary and pension.

He noted the Progressive Liberal Party first raised concern over the matter back in 2007.

Opposition leader, Dr. Hubert Minnis called the policy change fiscally imprudent. However, Mitchell said the former prime minister should not be commenting on the matter.

The Torchbearers Youth Association also slammed the Davis administration, calling the policy of double dipping a reprehensible one that should be reconsidered.

The statement adds, the “new day” PLP administration will see much of the goodwill that the Bahamian people have afforded them quickly eroded if they continue to implement policy decisions that seem to focus heavily on both reviving and rewarding the “old guard” within their ranks.

Mitchell also responded to the assertion that public servants should be elevated to fill vacant posts during the current economic crisis.

Reporting for Our News I’m Giorgio Bain.