Jordan: Bill secures long-serving public officers’ rights

A new bill granting permanent appointments to public officers who have been acting in posts for three years or more was proof of the government’s respect for workers across the public service, Minister of Labour and St Peter MP Colin Jordan said on Tuesday.

As the House of Assembly approved the measure, Jordan said: “This piece of legislation is an example of a government who not only respects the work of public officers in this country, the very good work of public officers in this country, but is prepared to come to this chamber, is prepared to bring a bill before this House, a bill that requires a constitutional majority… is prepared to come here and to enact legislation that will allow security of tenure for those who have been in positions, acting in positions for three years or more.”

He added: “Barbadians by and large want to know that they have some security of tenure.”

Under the legislation, public service workers who qualify will be made permanent members of the public service.

“If you have been acting for three years, unless something is wrong with your supervisor, it means that you are needed in the job, and the already existing legislation already recognises that three years in a job, unless it is project related,” Jordan explained.

He further clarified: “So unless there is a specific project that you’re working on that has a specific life — a start date and an end date — then outside of situations like that, it means that you are needed in that position, and so if you are in that position for three years or more, then on 1 January 2026, you will be deemed to be appointed to the position.”

Jordan also highlighted the government’s ratification of several International Labour Organisation conventions, including the Occupational Safety and Health conventions.

“Since we have come to office, we have ratified a number of International Labour Organisation standards, international labour conventions. We have ratified two Occupational Safety and Health International Standards. Convention 155, Convention 187. One is the safety and health, one is the promotion of,” he said.

He noted that these conventions had been agreed upon at the ILO years ago but were not previously brought before the chamber.

Three of these conventions, Jordan said, have now been ratified. “We have brought this honourable chamber, not to the chamber, we have ratified Convention Number 149. This is the Nursing Personnel Convention, and we have done it in close collaboration with the Barbados Nurses Association…. We have implemented this standard, and all that we’ve been doing as a government is to put into effect the provisions and the requirements of this international labour standard.”

Also included were the Domestic Workers Convention No. 189 and the Violence and Harassment Convention No. 190. He said the Labour Party is “committed to workers, committed to their protection, committed to providing them with the opportunity to be producers in this country, recognising their humanity, recognising that work is about dignity, recognising the concept of decent work and doing all in our power to make sure that that decent work is recognised. That is the reason why this bill is before this honourable chamber.”

Jordan acknowledged that the bill is not a cure-all.

“This government is not introducing this bill into this house as a panacea,” he said.

He reiterated that the public has responded positively and explained that the bill includes an appeals process for those who feel unfairly treated.

He said: “There will be persons who believe this is not fair to me. This government is about fairness… especially when we are dealing with human beings. And so there is in this bill an understanding that those persons who may feel that they were not fairly treated will have recourse, and that recourse is laid out in this bill.”

Appeals may be made to the President.

“Public officers who believe that they could be treated better are encouraged to use that medium. Many did last time, and a significant portion of those who used that medium were able to be successful in their appeals, and I say to public officers who, after this process, may feel hard done by, there is the process for appeal. A law must set certain parameters, but there must always be the provision for persons to have access to justice, and this government is about giving workers in this country access to justice.”

(LG)