Civil servants urged to give honest day’s work

Public officers have been told they must pull their weight, recognising that while they have the security of Government jobs thousands of Barbadians who were employed in the private sector pre-COVID-19 are now on the breadline with slim prospects of finding work soon.

The admonishment came from Minister in the Ministry of Finance and Economic Affairs Ryan Straughn as he contributed to the post-lunch debate on the Public Service (Appointment) Bill 2020 in the House of Assembly which was convened at Worthing Corporate Centre, Christ Church.

The bill provides for the appointment of some 3,100 civil servants who were either working in temporary positions or were appointed officers but were acting in higher posts to which they have now been effectively promoted.

Straughn told Parliament that the Government was investing in people and ensuring the terms and conditions under which public officers were employed allowed them to achieve personal goals as well as those of the departments to which they had been assigned.

He said the legislation would not only provide certainty to affected employees but also to the departments’ management teams to deliver on the services in an efficient and effective way.

According to the Christ Church East Central Member of Parliament, change management in Government was critical and the way persons in the public service were promoted was also as important as the delivery of service.

Against that background, he reminded civil servants that COVID-19 had resulted in thousands of Barbadians losing their jobs, even as many public officers were getting certainty about their employment, through the actions of Parliament.

Straughn therefore called on them to “pull their weight” and “bring about the change that is needed in the public sector”. Moreover, he said, there needed to be a better appraisal system for these workers to provide them with a clear sense of their possible career path.

He said all persons in the service must also be held to account, adding that every employee in the public sector was required to put in a full day’s work.

Straughn also noted that while some worked extensively beyond their required hours, the Government required all its employees to be “businesslike in the execution of their duties” every day.

The junior Finance Minister also expressed concern about the number of people who were working in Government departments for long periods without certainty about when they would be paid.

He said this was a longstanding problem that the administration was working to resolve. Noting that he was committed to the reform required to ensure this matter was remedied, Straughn said there was an overall need for updated procedures in the transfer of information so people could be paid in a timely fashion. (IMC1)