Yesterday, in the House of Assembly, the Premier and Minister of Finance, the Hon. E. David Burt, JP, MP, delivered a Ministerial Statement outlining adjustments to the remuneration of Members and Officers of the Legislature in accordance with the Ministers and Members of the Legislature (Salaries and Pensions) Act 1975.
Last year, an independent Salaries Review Board was convened to review compensation levels and report its recommendations to the House of Assembly. The Board, appointed following bipartisan consultation, operates independently and without direction from the Government.
The Premier reminded the public that there has been no salary adjustment for members of the Legislature in over 15 years and, that ministers’ salaries were reduced by 10% in 2013, and those reductions have remained in place for over a decade.
“In that time,” the Premier stated, “the demands and complexity of public service have grown significantly. Public officers of the Legislature now operate in an era of heightened scrutiny, faster decision-making, and increasing responsibility.”
The Government has accepted several recommendations from the independent Board, including the proposed base salary increases for Members and Officers of the House of Assembly and Senators and a substantial increase for the Office of the Speaker of the House.
For officers of the Legislature, the adjustments tabled today in the House of Assembly follow a measured approach and apply a 9.6% increase to 2009 salaries based on the cumulative public sector wage increases in 2022 (2.25%), 2023 (2.25%), and 2024 (4.8%).
This 9.6% increase for officers will apply to the following positions: President of the Senate, Vice President of the Senate, Deputy Speaker, Premier, Deputy Premier, Attorney General, Ministers, Junior Ministers, Opposition Leader, Junior Ministers & Opposition Whip.
This stands in contrast to the 21.1% increase received by public officers over the same period. Additional adjustments were applied in 2 specific cases: the Minister of Finance, in recognition of the role’s significance in Bermuda, and the Government Whip, whose role was set to be remunerated as a Junior Minister.
The Premier made clear that if salaries for elected officials had been increased in line with the full 21.1% received by public officers, as some have suggested, the financial impact would have been substantially higher. Instead, the Government has chosen a more prudent path that delivers fairness without excess.
“This is not about financial gain,” the Premier stated. “It’s about recognising the evolving nature of public service and encouraging capable people to step forward and serve their country.”
The Government remains committed to fiscal responsibility and transparent governance and has also reaffirmed its commitment to electoral reform, including reducing the number of Members of Parliament in the future.
Following his statement today, the Premier said: “Whilst the Government did not agree with every recommendation, such as implementing a cost-of-living increase in addition to a base salary increase for Members of the House of Assembly, we respected the consensus of the bipartisan Standing Orders Committee and accepted this recommendation.
We also did our part to ensure that the adjustments for other officers were fair and measured and reflected the growing demands of public service while staying well below the increases received across the public sector in line with the recommendations of the bipartisan committee.”
The resolution containing the new salaries has been tabled in the House of Assembly and will be debated next week.
Yesterday, in the House of Assembly, it was announced that Members of the Legislature will debate the bill and if passed the members will received a 10% salary increase, a move that is expected to reignite public outrage.
Just months ago, a similar pay raise sparked widespread criticism, especially as many Bermudians continue to face financial hardships.
With the cost of living rising and economic struggles affecting countless households, this latest development is likely to fuel further frustration among the public.
Below is the list of salaried increases for members of Parliament and Senators tabled on the floor of the House of Assembly yesterday.
I HEREBY do give notice that I propose to move the following Resolution:
“WHEREAS that previous resolutions of this House made pursuant to section 2 and
15A of the Ministers and Members of the Legislature (Salaries and Pensions) Act
1975 be revoked;
AND BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that pursuant to section 2 of the Ministers and Members of
the Legislature (Salaries and Pensions) Act 1975 the annual salaries payable to Members of the Legislature listed in Part A and Officers of the Legislature listed in Part B of the table below shall be as set out in the table below with effect from 1st January 2025.
TABLE OF SALARIES
A. MEMBERS OF THE LEGISLATURE
Senators $ 36,076
Members of the House of Assembly $ 73,555
B. OFFICERS OF THE LEGISLATURE
(Salaries additional to salaries as Senators or Members of the House of Assembly)
President of the Senate $ 16,634
Speaker, House of Assembly $ 100,841
Vice President, Senate $ 3,625
Deputy Speaker, House of Assembly $ 14,556
Premier * $184,152
Deputy Premier ** $137,499
Minister of Finance $158,245
(As a part-time Minister) $ 79,122
Attorney General $178,990
Other Ministers $122,768
(As a part-time Minister) $ 61,384
Opposition Leader $ 33,273
Junior Ministers $ 12,518
Government Whip $ 12,518
Opposition Whip $ 8,320
* Where the Premier is also the Minister of Finance, the additional salary shall be $184,152
** Where the Deputy Premier is also the Minister of Finance, the additional salary shall be $158,245
Any content which is considered unsuitable, unlawful, or offensive, includes personal details, advertises or promotes products, services or websites, or repeats previous comments will be removed.
User comments posted on this website are solely the views and opinions of the comment writer and are not a representation of or reflection of the opinions of TNN or its staff.
TNN reserves the right to remove, edit or censor any comments.
TNN accepts no liability and will not be held accountable for the comments made by users.