PM Orders Public Works to Speed Up Outstanding Overtime Payments

Prime Minister Gaston Browne has instructed officials at the Public Works Department to accelerate the processing of outstanding overtime payments after workers complained that some arrears remain unpaid.

The issue surfaced during Browne’s weekly Browne & Browne radio programme over the weekend when a Public Works employee called into the show and complained that workers were still waiting for overtime dating back several months.

The caller, who said she had worked at Public Works for 41 years, described occasions when employees worked into the early hours of the morning but were still waiting to be compensated.

Browne told the caller he would follow up on the matter, explaining that delays sometimes occur because payment vouchers are not prepared in time.

Later in the programme, the Prime Minister said he had received an update from Public Works indicating that overtime payments had been processed up to January 2026.

“I’ve asked them to accelerate the processing of the vouchers in the remaining months so we can bring the overtime up to date,” Browne said.

The overtime issue is separate from concerns involving recently employed workers who had also complained about delays in receiving their first salaries.

Browne acknowledged that some new employees had been waiting approximately two to three months to receive their first pay and said such lengthy delays should not occur.

He said officials at Public Works and the Treasury had been asked to expedite payments.

During another exchange, Browne agreed with a caller that employees should not have to protest in order to receive money they have earned.