Gov’t running on backs of public servants — Penn
Health Minister Marlon Penn is in agreement that successive governments have continued to balance the territory’s budget on the backs of public servants.
Penn, the incumbent Eighth District Representative and Chairman of the National Democratic Party (NDP), was speaking at the time at a Virgin Islands Public Service Association forum held last evening with leaders of the ruling Virgin Islands Party (VIP), Patriotic Citizens Movement (PCM) and Progressive Virgin Islands Movement (PVIM).
During the forum, a senior civil servant asked the panellists whether the incoming government will commit to awarding public servants’ long outstanding increments. She commented that the trend has shown that past governments generally budget for and pay increments in election years, seemingly as an election gimmick.
Pay them their due
In response, Penn argued that governments have to be more responsible with how the public purse is managed going forward.
“I agree with the question. We’re running the system on the backs of the public servants,” Penn said. “When you look at some of the decisions that we’ve made in terms of how we’ve spent public funds, that should have gone to the public servants and pay their [increments]”.
Penn said elected officials need to arrive at a cut-off point and stick to the commitments that have been made to public servants and to the financial obligations that the government has.
The Health Minister related that there have been heated discussions within Cabinet where lawmakers have examined the importance of ensuring that public servants are paid their fair due.
“I have a simple philosophy,” Penn expressed. “If a man works and there is proof that he’s done his work, he should be paid. It’s a simple philosophy, and I believe that we have an obligation to pay the civil servants their due based on the law, and I have a commitment to make that payment to the civil servants.”
We will pay
Premier Dr Natalio Wheatley, in the meantime, acknowledged that the government fell behind somewhere along the line and reminded persons that the government has committed to making payments on two years of outstanding increments — 2018 and 2019.
“God willing, if I’m elected with a majority, we’ll do another two years next year in an effort to try to catch up,” the premier assured.
Premier Wheatley also spoke about how the government can be held accountable if the increments are not paid as promised.
“Public servants are one of the biggest voting blocks in the society, and certainly it is important that governments understand that we have to treat our public servants fairly, or we pay a price at the polls,” he stated.
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It is very dangerous when the size of the public service, ad compared to the number of voters, results in the public service having anything over 25 % of the votes.
A public service needs constant review and change, and public servants don’t like change.
Unfortunately, the primarily function of the public service is always to make life easier and more comfortable for public servants – a classic example is parking spaces – in the private sector the parking spaces outside the front door are for customers, whereas in the public service the parking space outside the front door are for senior staff!
It is impossible for a political candidate to propose reform of the public service when the public service has a significant voting block. That is why the candidates at last nights meeting were falling over each other to assure the public service that there will be more money and no change.
That is why we have such an inefficient, self important and difficult public service.
What we need in the public service is proper performance management – with retention of jobs and pay rises tied to performance. That is why service in the private sector is so much better.
It is extraordinary that we now have the former manager of what has recently been, by far and away, the most inefficient and hopeless Government department now standing as a candidate for election. There is little to choose between her, and Mitsy, as to who was the most unpleasant to other staff members in their organisation. What you can be sure of is that nobody who worked with either of them will vote for them.
Sl** won dey promises are comfort to a fool.
In case you haven’t noticed, 2/3 of the population can not vote.
This government is built around protecting BVI Nationals (1/3 of the population). So the fact that 25% of the nationals are public servants is not a large number when you consider the total population.
Of course this is Minority Rule (same crap that went on in South Africa years ago). Only bad stuff happened in set ups like this. AND it is extremely rare that these systems Self Correct…all the more reason for the UK to Reset this mess!
Penn argued that governments have to be more responsible with how the public purse is managed going forward.
MARLON PLEASE.OMG PLEASE.
Two more next year???
Honorable Premier we were told 2018, 2019 with arrears by June 2023 and 2020, 2021,2022 with out arrears by September 2023.Did you forget already? Well… I see you or whoever is elected will need more teachers to start new school year.
Well sah!
Where was the leader of the P U.?
The money to pay the increment was left in the government coffers by the former administration.
They were informed not to pay it out so close to the elections or it would have looked like a bribe
FOLKS THE MONEY was already ALLOCATED
Sad to say the government lost to the GREEDY TEAM
They are hiding that as usual from the public .
Where did that money go ?
Suggestions :
1 to help pay the obeah man
2. To give to registered churches with ten members who did not ask
3. To pay the cronies who contributed funding to the campaign
4. To increase fees to incompetent board members
5. To over priced projects for cut backs
6. For funding private parties for selected Govt workers
7. For contracts that did not produce the service for money
Just a few of them
Shame on the Green Team
Many persons that have made the BVI their home has never exercise their right to vote in their country. Why is this so? Does it has suficiente polling áreas in these larger islands? Were the voters feared that their concerns not be heard?
While you have great concerns about the voting population of the BVI. I do have great concern elsewhere as well.
The políticians are running scared so every minute they have some story to tell.
I will never trust anything in politics again, voting is useless and politicians are filled with lies and disappointments. The BVIHSA has gone to the dogs because government placed a board who doesn’t care about its staff and how they are affected by their pure nonsense rules. The board have actually decided not to give anymore increments to staff, so basically we will be stuck one one salary without increase for the rest of our working years. That’s got to be illegal and inhumane. Then expects the staff to function 100% and continue to take the continuous abuse. No government in my eyes are worth voting for, Nonsense! Might as well the UK take over because the BVI government treats us as slaves any how!
You need a Literature class to understand the elements of facts versus fiction
And if they work 30 long years give them their pension – even if they are not belongers. The Territory wont turn the corner unless all God’s children are treated with dignity and resect.
mr penn you and the ndp had 8 years to deal with matters(back to back terms)
They know this long time and have done nothing. Funny he says that I passed Water & Sewerage employees working yesterday a holiday fixing a leak on Ridge Road and they say not one of them getting paid for the day. Water & Sewerage workers still work without paid overtime. So this country doesn’t have employment laws?
Dishonorable Penn needs to stop as the workers take the tone from the head. Under his watch the Ministry of Health became a place of favoritism and corruption.
When they start showing up for work early…When they stop taking 2 hrs lunch…. when they start conducting themselves in a professional manner….When they start meeting dead lines….When they start realizing that they are service givers and the public is their customer…Then we will seriously consider all what you asked for…These politicians need to give honest answers and stoo trying to look friends for votes
The government owes the public employees five increments
1. They allegedly budgeted for two arrears increments and promised to pay them halfway through the year following the election; they should have started paying payments in the first quarter if they were serious.
2. They then say they will increase salaries up to the most recent increment owed, with no arrears. Thereby depriving the permanent and pensionable public servants their arrears for three increments. Monies they worked for. When the PMP contract is signed is it not a legal commitment? And after twenty years they did not have the decency go give a cost of living adjustment to the salary scale.
3. The government wants to pay themselves after one term and walk on the public employees back who worked and collect the money for the treasury
4. How can the Governor and Deputy Governor accept this while promoting reform, transformation, world-class public service, and good governance? You are always being pushed to do more with less resources and the same compensation. Nonetheless, they receive outrageous pay and benefits; through the roof.
5. The majority of people who work for the government, after retirement will need to seek poverty relief money or find another job until they pass away. The government pays the least, and the retirement package is pitiful. The pension is barely sufficient to meet even the most basic necessities. Because of the government’s inattentive treatment, one can rarely afford to invest in anything else to supplement this pension. Most people struggle to make ends meet on a regular basis they live paycheck to paycheck
It would be interesting to examine the salaries of the senior managers of the BVIHSA
compared to 5 years ago during which workers received no increments.
The increments fell behind under NDP in 2017 and 2018. The Government has been playing catch up ever since. The Unity Government is right to pay what they can now. The next Administration will have to bring increments up to date.
How about coming for work bringing your own water day in day out. No toilet paper and have to go home sometimes to urinate. No printing paper. You have to buy your own. Civil servants deal with a lot but we are continuously bring ridiculed with from outside persons, who do not know our struggles. Being underpaid is just an understatement, politicians and those at the top need to act and stop their lip service. I speak for the hard-working civil servants, of which there are many. Say what you want. Who feels it knows.
Civil servants don’t deserve pay rises just for staying longer in their job. Pay rises should compensate for cost of living or excellent work or promotion, but not otherwise. One way to pay civil servants more is to release a whole load of them who are unproductive, rationalize jobs, force through technical improvements and slim down the number of bureaucrats (which has been way too high in the BVI for years). Then we’ll have the money for better schools, better roads and better infrastructure.
Those who are productive will get more pay – the others can go fish. Working for Government should not be a form of welfare.