In a startling revelation, Public Service Union President Elroy Boucher has confessed to championing a controversial salary bonus proposal during St. Vincent’s recent election campaign without fully comprehending the specifics of the pledge. The admission came during a radio interview on Boom FM, where Boucher detailed the confusion surrounding the New Democratic Party’s (NDP) pre-election commitment.
Ahead of the November 27, 2025 general elections, the NDP unveiled a strategic 60-day package containing four key promises designed to attract voters. Among these was a financially significant commitment to public servants that Boucher enthusiastically promoted, famously comparing it to the ‘double bubble’ benefits received by workers in St. Kitts.
Boucher revealed that during the campaign, he encountered conflicting messaging within the NDP itself. While some party materials referenced a ‘bonus salary,’ others promised a ‘double salary’—a substantial difference in financial commitment. The union leader acknowledged taking his cue from East Kingstown MP Fitzgerald Bramble, who publicly discussed ‘double salary’ payments.
The confusion came to a head during a joint press conference last November when Boucher and then-NDP leader Godwin Friday signed a memorandum of agreement. Boucher’s celebratory declaration that St. Vincent’s public servants would ‘be receiving a double bubble for Christmas’ was met with applause from Friday, who declined to clarify the exact nature of the commitment.
Despite the ambiguity, the NDP achieved a landslide victory, winning 14-1 seats and ending the Unity Labour Party’s 25-year governance. Following the election, the government has moved to implement what Prime Minister Friday now confirms is a ‘salary bonus’ rather than a ‘double salary.’
Finance Minister Friday has instructed the Treasury to process payments ranging from EC$1,000 to EC$2,000 by January 30th. The package will provide $2,000 tax-free bonuses to permanent and non-established public servants, $1,500 for pensioners, and EC$1,000 for daily paid workers earning between EC$500 and EC$1,000 monthly. Approximately 12,000 citizens will benefit from the EC$22 million initiative.
Boucher maintains that the bonus commitment predated MOU discussions and was not part of the formal agreement between his union and the NDP, though he admits union members were ‘delighted’ at the prospect of receiving double salary payments.