Civil Servants to contribute to health plan

Posted By Kevin Watler
Friday, 20 July 2012 6:45 pm

Government says it banking on presenting a national budget in the first week of August, projecting a surplus of $77 million.

The premier tells Cayman 27 he has to make deep cuts and create new sources of revenue in order to get the UK on board. This after the UK called government’s original proposal unsustainable. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office sent an economist to help make the slashes after government missed its June 30th deadline for the first time ever.

The premier says he’s proposing to cut some $30 million from capital projects and another $30 million from civil service spending. But he says civil servants salaries will not be cut, instead they will start contributing to their health insurance.

On the other hand, he says he’s looking for over $100 million in revenue.

FCO Economist, Richard Holmwood, is still in the Cayman Islands and negotiations are ongoing.

  • Paul S

    Come on Big Mack, do you really think that we are fools!!!

    It’s one thing to say you are not cutting civil servants pay, but then to say that civil servants will have to pay a portion of their health insurance, is utter madness!!!

    It means the same thing, we still lose money from our salaries!!

    Did you actually go to school?

    • Lorax

      Take away the COLA that was reinstated this year for Civil Servants. Health Insurance costs are not controlled. Once employees start paying for health care benefits there will never be an end to the increases – these are run away costs that cannot be controlled by our own prudent budgeting.

    • Willing to pay 50%

      Your respond to paying some of your Health Insurance is very lame. Most business in the private sector pays 50% medical for staff and the staff pays the other 50%. What is so wrong if any government request the same of their staff? Remember ‘nothing for nothing’ and in this case you will have the health coverage for you and your family. Can’t beat that. It is time the government of the Cayman Islands, past, present and future operates like a business and NOT like a charity circus. Come on Civil Servant, thank God you have a job and is only being asked to pay 50% towards your Health benefits.

  • NJ2Cay

    Contributing to your own health Insurance like the rest of the world is a lot better than having to do this as well as get a pay cut or having mass layoffs of Civil Servants.

  • Completely Baffled

    If the FCO economist can turn a $80 million deficit into a $77 million surplus in two weeks then I say give him a 10-year contract, Caymanian Status, and McKeeva can award him some medals next Heroes Day.

  • Cayman Plus

    Paul S, for your information, the reason why the Premier has to make cuts is because the economy is in a bad state. Because we don’t have no auditing from PPM’s days. We still don’t know the big hole they put us into. Are you saying that a government can stabilized an economy in a matter of three years? The UK wanted us to tax and we wanted to borrow. But we were refused the option of borrowing and McKeeva didn’t allow us to be taxed. He had to go with dart to making deals to boost the economy, but the deals are being branded as corruptive. So what more do you want??? Cuts have to be made then – not because of UDP but because of a mess that occurred during the last days of PPM’s tenure. Please, point your blame somewhere else!

    • Amen to your comments

      Cayman Plus. Amen to your comments. I think McKeeva continues to make blood out of stone. I really do not know how he copes. I am greatful for Dart and pray that he continues to back the Premier so that Cayman does not fold up and die.

    • B

      and how long has UDP been running things from in front and behind the scenes. Every political team is always busy cleaining up the mess the “other ones” left behind. Stop politicking (petty) and start working.

  • NJ2Cay

    Completely Baffled, I am confused by your Statement, Was there truely an 80 Million Dollar deficit two weeks ago or are you laying the ground work for another rumor?

  • andy williams

    im a civil servant and would feel making a contribution towards my medical care would be a step in the right direction. the only step in the right direction that has been made for a long long time may i add. what a mess he has this country in.

  • anonymous

    ITS TIME CAYMANIANS AWAKE UP OUT OF YOUR SLEEP OF IGNORANCE!

    I was a civil servant and I am in agreement that from Day One, All civil servants including the governor, and all elected officials should be contributing to health insurance just like civil servants everywhere else in the world! Are you kidding me? The public must pay insurance for some of these rude people lacking customer service manners, and I must reward them by paying their insurance which I can not even afford for myself?

    I TAKE MY HAT OFF AND BOW TO THE PREMIER FOR FINALLY DOING THE MOST IMPORTANT THING NEEDED IN THIS ISLAND. RIGHT ABOUT NOW!!!!

    KUDOS PREMIR GOOD MOVE!
    Every human being should pay their own insurance or contribute something. THIS WAS A LONG TIME COMING AND THERE IS NO ARGUMENT OR DEBATE THAT CAN OBJECT TO THIS
    MOST BRILLIANT MOVE OF THE PREMIER OF THE UK WHOEVER IS RESPONSIBLE!

    PRAISE THE LORD!

  • anonymous

    Andy Williams,

    You’re not a very bright civil servant if you don’t know who put this country in the mess that it is in.Did you forget 2009?Well it was a recession and the PPM was spending like there was ‘NO TOMORROW!?
    They emptied the public purse bankrupting the country and as a result the UK put the breaks on the winning UDP Party leader Premier bush, Mr. Bush inherited a national debt that most leaders would dodge by not even running for office! for fear of being stigmatized by the PPM mess they left behind for Mr. Bush to cleanup! Even Mr. Truman Bodden Former LEOGB who kept a surplus in the public purse dubbed the “Bill Clinton of the Cayman Islands” Even he stayed away from the political arena to evade inheriting the financial disgrace the PPM left behind in 2009; as he did not want to share the blame they are now pointing at our premie! Get your story right Mr. Williams.
    So Andy, its time you do your homework before coming public with uninformed statements that not even you know anything about.

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