The recent reversion of some public officers to their substantive posts had nothing to do with the Barbados Revenue Authority (BRA), but rather, promotions in the service.
This disclosure came today from Chief Personnel Officer, Gail Atkins, who said: ???In terms of the BRA, there have been no layoffs that I am aware of. We are dealing with the secondments and that process should be completed by tomorrow, Friday [April 4] or next Monday [April 7]. Then we will work towards reassigning those appointed officers who do not want to go with the Authority to vacant posts in the Civil Service. By the end of next week I think we should be able to wrap this process up.
???If an appointed officer refuses to go with the BRA, one of the things we have to do first is to see if we can find a comparable position within the Civil Service to which they will be assigned. And, therefore, what we are now about to go through is a process where we will be looking to find comparable positions for all those persons who said they did not want to go with the BRA or because of the number of posts established under BRA, that organisation has not been able to offer them a position.???
Ms. Atkins acknowledged, however, that the decision of those who make a request to stay in the public service would have an effect on the positions of temporary officers because appointed officers have a preference. ???So we would have to reassign the appointed officers to vacant positions, where they can be found, in the public service and where that occurs it will have the effect of reversions or terminations in some cases,??? she stated.
The Chief Personnel Officer pointed out that in addition to dealing with the BRA, the Personnel Administration Division was involved in two major exercises and she identified them as the retrenchment of public servants on March 31 this year, as well as the appointment on promotion to three posts.
She explained that 10 officers were appointed to the post of Assistant Personnel Officer from among 72 persons who were interviewed, and in the case of Senior Administrative Officers 15 persons were promoted from among 75 persons who were interviewed, while 25 Senior Accountants were promoted out of 57 persons who were interviewed.
???Recognising we were doing terminations, we felt that we should not ask the Civil Service to go through a round of reversions and, therefore, we sought to put into effect both projects at April 1. And, therefore, that is why you are seeing a lot of movement across the public service, but more than that you are also getting reversions. But, these reversions have arisen mostly because of the promotions we have done where persons are now permanently appointed to the Civil Service,??? she pointed out.
In today???s Daily Nation, it was suggested that some of those public officers had been demoted. This has been denied by the Chief Personnel Officer who explained that ???demotion in the Civil Service is a penalty arising out of the disciplinary process after a determination has been made by one of the Service Commissions that a person is guilty of a breach of the public service regulations???.
sharon.austingill-moore@barbados.gov.bb