7 Kimone Francis/Senior Staff Reporter JAMAICANS APPEAR to be losing confidence in the leaders of the top two political parties, judging from the findings of the latest Don Anderson poll. THE SURVEY was commissioned by the Opposition People’s National Party (PNP) and was conducted between February 17 and 26 among 1,002 eligible voters islandwide. The margin of error is plus or minus 3 per cent at the 95 per cent confidence level. Prime Minister AndrewHolness’positive (‘good’ and‘very good’) performance rating declined substantially to a new low in recent years, slumping to 25.3 per cent from 38 per cent in July 2022, when the RJRGLEANER Communications Group commissioned that survey. This represents a falloff of 13 percentage points over seven months. Still, Holness’handling of his portfolio continues to top Opposition Leader Mark Golding’s, who got a 14.7 per cent approval (‘good’ and ‘very good’) rating, down from the 18 per cent in last year’s survey. Even more telling, Holness’ negative performance rating jumped to 44 per cent in February, compared to 27 per cent last July; while there was a 10-percentage point increase in the Opposition leader’s negative performance rating, which moved from 39 per cent last year to 49 per cent seven months later. Some 31 per cent of those surveyed rated Holness’performance as ‘average’, compared with 35 per cent last July. Golding’s ‘average’performance rating moved from 43 per cent in the last survey to 36 per cent this time around. “The performance of both leaders reflects significant changes over the last survey in July 2022,”noted pollster Don Anderson, pointing out that fieldwork from his team at Market Research Services Limited “was approved only after the most vigorous validation of the interviews was carried out”. “The nationally representative sample we used for the survey, 1,002 persons 18 years and older across the 14 parishes, accurately represents all age groups, gender and socio-economic groups in line with their numeric importance within the population,” Anderson said. MORE WORRYING FOR THE JLP The findings “spell trouble” for the political leaders, analysts have argued, but more so for the governing Jamaica Labour Party (JLP). They believe it raises fresh concerns about the“leader centrism” of the current administration. The poll results come just over a week after Minister of Local Government and Rural Development Desmond McKenzie tabled a bill in the House of Representatives for the fourth consecutive postponement of the local government elections. The bill was passed without amendments after the Government used its majority to push it through. Opposition members subsequently staged a walkout. Days later, the Government again used its majority in the Senate to approve the bill. Political scientist Dr Jermaine McCalpin, while cautioning that a time series poll was not conducted, said the“precipitous” increase in the prime minister’s negative rating should concern the ruling party. He said the larger questions of the economy, crime, wage issues and the discontent in some quarters of the public sector, and the perception that the Government is not interested in holding the local government elections are leader centric issues that shape people’s perception of performance. “The incumbent has more to give pause to because they are leading versus the party in opposition. If the party in opposition is doing poorly it’s one thing, but if the party in power is doing poorly, it’s a whole different conundrum, and I think these polls point towards that,” McCalpin told The Gleaner. CONTRACT TO PENSION Thousands of low-wage earners to receive benefits with new employment status FINANCE AND the Public Service Minister Dr Nigel Clarke on Tuesday announced that hundreds of low-skilled workers in public schools as well as garbage collection workers who have worked without benefits for years will now become pensionable as their status have been upgraded from contract workers to permanent employees. Clarke said the change in schools is being effected under the Reform of Contract Work in the Public Sector in the Ministry of Education. Among those to benefit are hundreds of cooks, watchmen and sanitation workers. “This Government is going to resolve this longstanding issue. We will create the post codes required to elevate 716 cooks and [52] assistant cooks in our school system, from contract employment to permanent employment … ,” he said to applause. In addition, 367 schools regular watchmen working on contract and without post codes will now have their status changed. After announcing that there would be no new taxes for the sixth consecutive financial year, Clarke told the House that the 659 persons employed as caregivers in early childhood institutions will also move from contract workers to permanent employment. Clarke also announced changes for sanitation workers employed by the National Solid Waste Management Authority (NSWMA). The workers to become permanent staffers total just under 2,000 and will include sidemen, landfill workers, drivers, mechanics, enforcement officers, and other sanitation workers. Clarke rebuffs demands for more pay, says economic gains could reverse WHILE CONCEDING that critical public sector groups, including the police, teachers, and doctors, deserve more under the compensation restructuring exercise, Finance and the Public Service Minister Dr Nigel Clarke on Tuesday told them plainly in Parliament: “I cannot do any more.” The “any more” that Clarke referenced is $12 billion set aside in the Budget for teachers; $11.8 billion for members of the Jamaica Constabulary Force; and $6.4 billion for doctors under the restructuring exercise. The complement of the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) is 12,300 while public sector teachers number about 24,000. A critical vote this week by delegates of the Jamaica Teachers’ Association (JTA) on whether to accept the Ministry of Finance’s offer could determine the turn of events on the industrial scene in the weeks ahead. Already, scores of teachers at several schools across the country have sent a clear signal that they are dissatisfied with the current offer by staging sit-ins and calling in sick. Clarke, who opened the 2023-2024 Budget Debate in Gordon House on Tuesday, restated that the payment allocated in the current Budget cannot be accommodated in the upcoming fiscal year. He also made it clear that the law prevents unused amounts this year from being carried over to finance expenditure next year, noting that public sector groups that have not settled before month end could see their payments beingmade over an extended period beginning in fiscal year 2024-2025. [NEWS YOU MAY HAVE MISSED] Dr Nigel Clarke, minister of finance and the public service, making his presentation as he opened the Budget Debate in the House of Representatives on Tuesday. IAN ALLEN/PHOTOGRAPHER Teachers at the Manchester High School protesting on Tuesday as they object to the latest offer under the compensation restructure scheme by the Government. PHOTO BY TAMARA BAILEY Public confidence in leaders dips Approval ratings plunge for Holness, Golding in latest opinion polls THE MONTHLY GLEANER | MARCH 9 - APRIL 8, 2023 | www.jamaica-gleaner.com | NEWS
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