Nevis’ Premier addresses non-payment of salaries issue

ZIZ News — Nevis’ Premier and Finance Minister, the Honourable Vance Amory, last night [April 23] confirmed that his administration was unable to make salary payments to its civil servants in time for Wednesday’s pay day.

During an address to the nation, the Nevisian leader said this has been a very traumatic, stressful and embarrassing time for him and his administration.

He said however that a temporary solution had been found.

“The National Bank, our creditors, have agreed to honour the cheques of the Nevis Island Administration and to pay the salaries for the month of April. The situation therefore has been temporarily resolved but it is my hope, my fervent hope, that we shall be able to have a permanent resolution to the financial arrangements with the National Bank as soon as we are able to meet after Friday 25th April,” Amory explained.

The Nevisian leader then assured Nevisians that his administration had done all in its power to manage its finances responsibly, adding that it had sought to curtail excess expenditure.

“I want to make it quite clear that the CCM Administration has over the past 15 months not increased the overdraft which it inherited in January of 2013. The level of that overdraft was just about $62 million. Today, as we have been going through this traumatic and embarrassing experience, the level of the overdraft is $61.8 million,” Amory added.

News had spread across Nevis that several employees of the Nevis Island Administration had not been paid salaries for the month of April. We also spoke with an employee who confirmed that she had not been paid.

Attempts were also made to speak with Premier Amory and the island’s Finance Permanent Secretary but we were told that both were unavailable.