The recently announced jump in salaries for senior civil servants is wrong for two reasons. First, because they seem to have been raised in almost total secrecy, and secondly, because the rationale and structure of the increases does not hold water, at least from the outside looking in.

To take the latter point first, the increases, which seem to be mainly between $10,000 and $20,000 for the lucky few who have received them, are justified because of the difficulties of recruiting and retaining senior staff, according to Cabinet Secretary John Drinkwater.

It is impossible to speak to the problems of recruiting, although Mr. Drinkwater did cite problems that the Civil Service has had recruiting from abroad, presumably after applicants get sight of the Island’s high cost of living.

But it is hard to recall many senior civil servants departing for the private sector in recent years. To be sure, it happens. This is inevitable, as is the movement of people from the private sector to the public sector.

It is true that a number of senior civil servants have left public service in the last few years, but this has mainly been for retirement. In a few cases it has been due to sheer frustration, which no amount of higher pay could have satisfied.

It is probably true that compared to some exempted companies and some of the law firms and accountancies that service them, senior civil service salaries are low. But the same is true for much of the rest of the private sector, especially “local companies”. For many local businesses, attempting to match civil service salaries and benefits is challenging enough.

Still, it may be that the Civil Service studies that have apparently been done will show a much different picture. If that’s the case, then they should be made public.

There is one exception to this. It is right and proper that judges and magistrates should get increases, both to protect them from the temptation of corruption and because of historic problems recruiting top-notch lawyers to the bench.

Nonetheless, the nature of the increases will create further animosity because of the arbitrary way in which they have pulled anyone above “grade 41” — which pays $115,000 per year — up two to three grades while leaving anyone at grade 40 or below with the 4.5 percent pay increase that was recently awarded.

When the next round of pay increases are negotiated, it is inevitable that everyone below grade 41 will be clamouring to receive a $10,000 increase above and beyond inflation, followed by the teachers seeking parity and Government blue collar workers seeking their true value as well.

So this increase threatens to be a true inflation buster, with the taxpayer once again footing the bill. Finally, the method in which these increases have apparently been agreed boggles the mind, especially for a Government that claims to be transparent.

Only good journalistic digging, first by ZBM News, and then by this newspaper, has uncovered the increases and the rationale behind it, in spite of the fact that the Island’s legislators have just spent weeks debating the Government’s Budget.

It may be argued that these increases will not come into effect in this financial year, but the Island’s MPs and Senators, not to mention the general public, were entitled to know what was going on. And that’s reason enough to oppose these awards to the people who are supposed to act for the public.