by Lannie Walker

Guam - The results of a government-wide compensation study conducted by The Hay Group are in. According to consultant Neville Kenning, currently the Government of Guam's payscale is 59% percent below market value. Kenning adds that the gap is too wide to bridge at one time.

The recommendation: to bring the payscale up to 15% below the national average. The study targets the cost to bring employees up to the minimum on the payscale at around $10.5 million. It will cost close to an additional $2.5 million to bring employees in the middle and bottom of the payscale up to next level.

"So in terms of what we consider the least that should be done in terms of recommendations," said Kenning, "the cost is approximately $13.1 million and that would affect nearly 6,000 employees."

The study was completed in a year's time, of which the consultant says, "The time invested in this project will reap positive benefits in near future and is a step forward improving life for people our benefit." For nearly 20 years most public sector staffers' payscales have remained stagnant. But in less than a year that could all change/

Implementation of the pay raise is set for next October. Legislative action has been taken to address pay for law enforcement, teachers and nurses, but not for those in the United Pay Plan, which encompasses a wide variety of positions - which were the majority of the hikes to take place, according to the findings.

But how the raise will be funded is another story. That's where the Guam Legislature comes in, as Senator Adolpho Palacios (D) notes, "We still have to authorize legislatively to pay, even if we agree with 15% it has to be with legislation anyway."

Governor Felix Camacho has tasked Guam's senators with coming up with a plan fund increase. Senator Tony Ada told KUAM News when asked if there has been anything discussed on how such a massive is going to be funded, "No, not at all - we are just going over what there study came up with and from there we will take it one step at a time."

While GovGuam employees may be one step closer to seeing a bump in their paychecks, it seems there still remains many bumps on the road to getting there.

Review the Government of Guam Payscale Study