Tenure not the only yardstick to determine promotion in the public service, says BWU

“The BWU (Barbados Workers’ Union) does not stick slavishly to promotion by tenure unless the system allows for it” says General Secretary Toni Moore.

“You will find that many of the agreements between the Barbados Workers’ Union and its divisions stipulate that while tenure may be used for promotion in some cases, it is not the only method,” she told Barbados TODAY on Friday.

Moore’s comments were in response to statements from Chief Justice Sir Patterson Cheltenham who on Thursday took issue with some aspects of the Public Service Act regarding promotions.

Speaking at the Ministry of the Public Service’s Human Resource Conference at the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre Sir Patterson described the Act as “a compromise between top civil servants who are scared out of their wits and the unions who said ‘we have to make sure we keep our membership so, therefore, make sure people are promoted on the basis of being there for a long time’.”

“It’s not about being able to do the job but being there for a long time – the funny expression they call supersession. What nonsense!” Sir Patterson contended.

Supporting the CJ’s view that employees should be promoted based on their ability and productivity, the BWU leader said this is a stance that “any progressive institution operating in 2023 must recognise”. She insisted that the BWU has acknowledged and aligned itself with this position “for quite some time now”.

Moore also agreed that there’s a need for a system to be implemented within the public sector to assess the performance of government employees.

“More than two decades ago the Barbados Workers’ Union said to the government of Barbados that an efficient appraisal system was needed so that productivity could be properly measured and rewarded,” she said.

The General Secretary vowed however, that the union would remain committed to protecting workers and defending their rights.

“While the Barbados Workers’ Union encourages wholesome productivity that is rewarded by employers, our duty is to all workers and we will make no apologies for defending them and standing up for them where there is a legitimate case to be made,” Moore added. (JB)