The government is moving to settle long-outstanding upgrade payments to teachers by the end of this week, as the phased distribution of retroactive pay to public servants continues. According to Antigua News Room, Director General of Communications Maurice Merchant confirmed the Treasury is prioritising the disbursements, with a target of completing payments by Thursday pending final verification checks.
"These payments are being prioritised, with the Treasury aiming to issue the outstanding sums by the end of today, Thursday," Merchant said during Thursday's post-Cabinet briefing.
The development comes during the final phase of retroactive payments covering the period January to December 2023, which are being processed in stages across government departments. Merchant confirmed that more than EC$4.6 million has already been disbursed, with additional payments still being processed as ministries work to verify final amounts.
"To date, several government departments have already received payments… with total disbursements exceeding 4.6 million dollars," he said.
Merchant clarified that the current round does not represent a new payout but is intended to settle outstanding balances owed to public servants who did not receive their full entitlements during earlier phases.
"Some persons were owed a balance… and so now the Treasury is working on giving those persons… the remaining balance," he said.
Payments are being made via electronic funds transfer and will continue on a rolling basis as verification is completed. Merchant also noted that provisions have been made for eligible individuals who have since left the public service, allowing them to receive their payments once the required information is submitted to the Treasury.
