Unions cautiously back plan to confirm thousands of officers

Public sector unions on Tuesday gave guarded support to the government’s plan to confirm more than 2 000 public officers in their posts, describing the move as long overdue but warning that fair and transparent implementation will be essential to restore morale and trust across the service.

 

In separate interviews with Barbados TODAY, the National Union of Public Workers (NUPW) and the Barbados Union of Teachers (BUT) — both of which have long raised concerns about prolonged temporary and acting appointments across the public service — welcomed the announcement but cautioned that integrity would be critical to its success.

 

Their comments came moments after the announcements were made by Prime Minister Mia Mottley as she led the parliamentary debate on the Public Service (Appointments) Bill, which will allow 1 170 temporary public officers who have served for more than three years to be confirmed, and 925 officers serving in acting positions to be promoted to their substantive posts.

 

“The National Union of Public Workers always welcomes the news of public officers being appointed, we always welcome the news in this process,” acting General Secretary Wayne Walrond told Barbados TODAY. But he had some concerns.

 

He noted that confirmation in post had practical implications for workers’ financial security, particularly when seeking long-term loans.

 

“One of the things the banks are looking at is confirmation in a position, and any long-term lending like mortgages, if an officer is still temporary, that can impact on their eligibility to get what we will call a substantive loan,” he said.

 

But Walrond raised concerns about the treatment of adverse reports during the confirmation process, pointing to issues that arose during previous mass appointment exercises.

 

“This whole idea that if you receive an adverse report around this period it could impact on you,” he said, adding that while the union did not dispute delays where criminal or disciplinary matters were involved, it remained concerned about how reports were used.

 

“The one that’s interesting that we had when it was the 2020 appointment was just around that time some officers claimed that they started to receive an adverse report when previously it was not adverse,” Walrond said. “So we just are concerned that the opportunity is not used unduly.”

 

He said the union wanted to ensure officers were not unfairly disadvantaged and noted that appeal mechanisms must remain accessible.

 

Walrond said overall, the announcement was welcomed, particularly for the impact it could have on workers’ morale and future planning.

 

“Security of tenure is a peace of mind too,” he said. “It does something to your morale and your peace of mind, you could have more security and plan your future needs, what you want to do with your life, and definitely we welcome this announcement.”

 

For the Barbados Union of Teachers, the prime minister’s announcement represents a “welcomed step in addressing a problem that has plagued the teaching service for years”, BUT President Rudy Lovell told Barbados TODAY.

 

“We have repeatedly called for this process to become regularised, where teachers who are in temporary positions for three or more years without an adverse temporary teacher report are eligible for appointment to the teaching service.”

 

Lovell said extended periods of acting and temporary appointments had never been an administrative anomaly, but rather a “systemic failure that affected livelihoods, morale and professional dignity”.

 

“The confirmation and promotion of public officers, including teachers, acknowledges the legitimacy of long-standing grievances raised repeatedly by trade unions, including the Barbados Union of Teachers,” he added.
But he cautioned that announcements are next to useless unless followed by timely and transparent execution.

 

“It must be clearly stated that an announcement alone does not resolve the issue,” Lovell said. “What will meaningfully address the problem is timely implementation, transparency in the process, and guarantees that such delays will not recur.”

 

Many teachers had spent years performing the duties of substantive posts without the accompanying security, remuneration, or pension benefits, he claimed.

 

If implemented properly, the measures could improve morale and stability within the teaching service, he said, but warned that prolonged uncertainty had already taken a toll.

 

“Conversely, prolonged uncertainty has contributed to frustration, burnout, and the steady erosion of confidence in the system. Retention remains a critical concern, particularly as trained educators continue to explore opportunities outside the public service or overseas.”

 

The government has touted the appointments as part of efforts to regularise employment across the public service, while acknowledging that the absence of a fully functioning human resource management information system has constrained the confirmation of a larger number of officers.

 

Discussions on improved conditions of service and compensation for key frontline workers are ongoing, alongside a broader regrading exercise expected to be completed next year.

shannamoore@barbadostoday.bb