University of the West Indies political scientist Professor Don Marshall dismissed speculation that Prime Minister Mia Mottley’s latest announcements signal an early general election, insisting that public service reforms introduced on Tuesday are long overdue and should be judged on their merit rather than political timing.
He was responding to the prime minister’s announcement that teachers could soon regain their long-lost term’s vacation leave, as early as next year. Mottley also announced that some 2 000 public servants would receive permanent appointments next year.
Amid widespread speculation of a snap general election possibly in the first quarter of the new year, Prof Marshall suggested the focus should be less on elections and the prime minister’s motives, and more on what the administration has needed to do for some time as part of its developmental agenda.
He described the announcements as long overdue: “It would come as a welcome adjustment and a welcome initiative on the part of the government. I often wonder why, whenever we’re in an IMF programme, the instinct is always to move towards cutting the public service as opposed to repurposing the public service,” he said.
“So if these new appointments, for example, are going to lead to a repurposing of the public service in keeping with whatever the developmental agenda of the government is and plans to be, I’m all in support of it.”
Marshall also cautioned against second-guessing the motives behind government decisions, noting that public reaction often follows closely on the heels of recent policy debates.
“What I believe to be a poorly conceived economic diversification bill… some would say hard on the heels of that comes this announcement, but it’s also Christmas time, so maybe this was always in the works,” he said.
According to the UWI professor, the more pressing concern is the impact the appointments will have on efficiency within the public service.
“You’ll find me in full support. Once we have these essential services and the workers in those areas are well satisfied, I think you will see productivity increase and you would also see more and more persons moving into these careers and these choices,” Prof. Marshall said.
“So if we were to blaze a trail in the region in relation to how we adequately treat our essential workers and these essential services, so be it. I welcome the initiative.”
Prof. Marshall said he was hopeful that ongoing discussions with the teachers’ unions would result in long-standing grievances being addressed.
“As it relates to the protracted issues that the teachers’ unions have been raising, we welcome an end to those talks about how we classify and understand periods of leave,” he said. “So many teachers, policemen and nurses, these are special categories of persons offering essential services, and the sooner this government or any government provides them with relief, compassion and empathic listening, the better.”
As the House of Assembly moved to pass the Public Service (Appointments) Bill, she told the House that she had held discussions with both the Barbados Union of Teachers (BUT) and the Barbados Secondary Teachers’ Union (BSTU), and had instructed the relevant ministries to begin the process of resolving the issue.
She also announced a range of initiatives, including expanded additional compensation and improved conditions of service for key frontline workers such as teachers, police officers and nurses. A comprehensive regrading exercise across the civil service is expected to be completed next year.
Mottley explained that the island’s large civil service had been hampered in the timely management of human resource matters because of the current situation.
louriannegraham@barbadostoday.bb
The post UWI political expert urges focus on substance, not ‘election’ talk appeared first on Barbados Today.
