By RIEL MAJOR

Tribune Staff Reporter

rmajor@tribunemedia.net

ELEVATED wages for government workers are on the way with a $1,400 lump sum payment for workers of the public service, according to Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis.

Dr Minnis told reporters at a press conference on Friday that immigration officers, custom officers, police officers, defence force officers, teachers, doctors and nurses from the Public Hospitals Authority will receive a lump sum payment in their pay cheque at the end of the month.

When asked if there are any plans to increase the minimum wage in the private sector, Dr Minnis said no, but that will be an ongoing discussion.

He said: “(We) will have to take the long-term impact into consideration but the government sector would be elevated. I know that all those individuals I mentioned, the Defence Force and all them.

“I know they’re aggressively and anxiously waiting their $1,400 lump sum for Christmas. I would hope that they would spend their money here in our economy because we need it after Hurricane Dorian as opposed to running to the US or wherever.”

Earlier this year, public service workers protested over the government's unwillingness to immediately give them a $1,200 lump sum payment.