Councillor questions pay gap between St Catherine mayor and CEO

A councillor has raised concerns about the pay structure at the St Catherine Municipal Corporation, questioning why the chief executive officer earns more than the municipal mayor.

Councillor for the Mount Industry Division, Correll Davis, raised the issue during Thursday’s monthly general meeting of the corporation in Spanish Town.

It was revealed during the meeting that the salary of the corporation’s CEO is higher than that of Municipal Mayor Norman Scott.

“Mr Chairman, does the CEO report to you when she is on the job, and is the pay higher than yours? If this is so, it is wrong. The boss cannot be paid less than his worker,” Davis said.

Several councillors were heard speaking in hushed tones as the issue was raised.

Scott acknowledged that the CEO earns more than he does but said there is a process to address the disparity.

“Yes, the CEO gets more pay than I am being paid, but there is a way to deal with that. It will be dealt with,” Scott said.

Scott, who heads the country’s largest municipal corporation with 41 divisions, said he should be earning at least one dollar more than the CEO.

The meeting was also told that the deputy mayor should receive 80 per cent of the mayor’s salary, while councillors should receive between 60 and 65 per cent, based on the proposed salary structure.

Members also raised concerns that, despite local government reforms, the St Catherine Municipal Corporation and other municipal corporations continue to face disparities that they say are affecting their operations.

They called for the inequalities to be addressed urgently.

- Rasbert Turner

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