UCASE takes issue with DPP's comment on some civil servants' work ethic

 

President of the Union of Clerical Administrative and Supervisory Employees (UCASE), Vincent Morrison, believes recent comments by the Director of Public Prosecutions on the poor work ethic of some public servants is an attack on the civil service. 

 

Mr. Morrison has challenged DPP Paula Llewellyn to provide evidence to substantiate the claims.

 

Addressing the opening session of the Jamaica Civil Service Association (JCSA) annual general meeting in the Corporate Area recently, Ms. Llewellyn is reported to have called for the JCSA to unmask non-performing workers who have made the public service their "side hustle" and are collecting salaries under false pretence.

 

Noting that she was passionate about service above self, the DPP said an insistence for heavier paychecks could not be the sole focus of the JCSA, after President Techa Clarke-Griffiths outlined the union's intent for the upcoming negotiating period.

 

Speaking Wednesday on the Morning Agenda on Power 106, Mr. Morrison expressed his displeasure with what he termed the broad-brush approach to the performance of a public service.

 

"When it's convenient for certain people to criticise the workers of this country, they go full blast, not recognising that this country, Jamaica, has been built by the sweat, the blood, the efforts of the working class people of this country. So my point is, where and if the DPP has the evidence...put it on the table," he demanded, insisting that otherwise, one should not "call Jamaican workers hustlers". 

 

He said if the concern extends to the private sector, the issue must swiftly be dealt with. 

 

When asked if the DPP's observations have merit, Mr. Morrison said it should not be left to unions to call out the poor performance of civil servants. He said this is the job of managers. 

 

"So, starting with the permanent secretary, who is the head of the civil service, and the line managers in the civil service, they wouldn't [be] worth their salt because they're not supposed to have the situation happen. When you're given a job to manage, you must manage. What I'm saying, it's not only an attack which has no evidence on certain people in the civil service per se, but it's an attack on the management, overall, of the Jamaica Civil Service [Association]," he complained. 

 

In her budget debate presentation in March, Finance Minister Fayval Williams said progress was being made in the implementation for the pay for performance element within the new compensation framework for the public sector. 

 

She said the government has initiated discussions with union partners to ensure a collaborative and structured approach to the roll out of the system.

 

In the meantime, Robert Wynter, Managing Director of consulting firm, Strategic Alignment, said the Director of Public Prosecutions is spot on with her assessment of poor performance in the civil service. 

 

But Mr. Wynter said the purpose of the Jamaica Civil Service Association is to protect the interests of its members. He suggested the DPP direct her attention to the leadership of the public sector and the political directorate who should ensure employees are meeting job requirements. 

 

Mr. Wynter also argued that having a side hustle does not necessarily lead to poor performance. 

 

"The Prime Minister himself has several different companies. So are you saying the Prime Minister's job is a side hustle? The Leader of the Opposition also [has] interest in companies.... But nothing's wrong with that. You're supposed to be still doing a job. You are tasked with doing a good job, and you should be held accountable. But it's not for the for the civil service association to hold individual members accountable. It is for the management throughout the public sector," asserted Mr. Wynter, who was also a guest Wednesday on the Morning Agenda.