By FAY SIMMONS

Tribune Business Reporter

jsimmons@tribunemedia.net

The Government last night said Bahamian civil servants will have received base pay increases of between 8 percent to 31 percent over the last four years following completion of the latest salary review.

The Davis administration, in a statement yesterday evening, confirmed that public employees excluded from the previous wage adjustment will receive a minimum of two salary increments in their December pay period. It added that the upcoming pay adjustments will be retroactive to September 1, 2025, and are intended to “narrow the gap” between compensation in the public and private sectors.

“The latest round of increases will be reflected in the December pay period and will be retroactive to September 1, 2025. Employees not covered in the June adjustment will receive a minimum of two salary increments, with the size of the increase varying by category,” said the Government.

“This exercise covers all classes of officers directly employed by the public service on a non-contractual basis. Its purpose is to close the wage gap between the public service and the wider private sector, and ensure fairness for Bahamian workers. For example, this increase will narrow the gap between non-contractual employees and those who already received increases as a result of trade union negotiations.”

The Davis administration said the Government has been gradually increasing salaries for public workers over the last four years. Entry-level workers received the highest raises, and new college graduates such as nurses and teachers also saw a noticeable rise in their pay.

“With this adjustment, public officers will have seen increases to their base compensation over the last four years ranging from 8 percent to 31 percent, with the largest percentage increases going to entry-level employees,” said the Government. “College graduates, including graduate nurses and graduate teachers, will see their base compensation increase by 19 percent over the same period.”

During his 2025/2026 Budget communication, Prime Minister Philip Davis announced middle management public servants would receive salary increases at the end of June and there would be broader pay raises of between 2 to 8 percent for the rest of the public service coming in September, along with expanded health insurance coverage for all government employees.

“This second phase will bring salary adjustments of 2 to 8 percent for the remainder of the public service, a vital step to help restore purchasing power lost to inflation while also promoting fairness, retention and morale across the public sector. The second phase will be implemented in September 2025,” Mr Davis added.