PM Mottley: Public sector improvements on the horizon

Prime Minister Mia Mottley has promised significant changes are on the horizon to improve the island’s public service, with moves expected as early as next week to address inefficiencies in government departments.

She assured that complaints about inefficiencies in the public sector over the years have not gone unnoticed and changes will come soon to streamline services.

“We cannot have a 20th-century analog government in a 21st digital century. Therefore, I have taken some decisions, I have spoken to the head of the public service. As of next week, there are going to be two PSs [Permanent Secretaries] dealing with two different things that are intended to streamline and bring about efficiency,” Mottley disclosed on Tuesday during an informal town hall meeting with residents of St Joseph.

“I’ve promised the country that we are going to look at all of those human resource issues in the public service that have remained unresolved, and, therefore, we are going to have a dedicated framework for regrading which is still, with the best will in the world, likely to take about 18 months to two years.”

The Prime Minister added that the matter of flexible working hours is another issue her administration hopes to address soon, with the intention of giving government workers the option of taking days off instead of using sick or vacation days.

“….The flexitime, which we used [well] during COVID…we need now to use it in a non-shutdown environment so that everybody understands how it can work, and then we need lieu days. This notion that if you want a day off you have to go tell somebody you sick or take a vacation day is foolishness.

“In other organisations, you can take up to five lieu days. In other words, it’s my birthday I want the day off, I’ll take it back and give it back to you another day, so that you can make those flexible arrangements instead of making big adults feel as though they are children or criminals,” Mottley added.
(SB)