If Belonger interviews are waived, so should public service appraisals!
Some commentators have suggested that pending performance appraisals should be waived altogether for public servants who have been waiting a number of years for the payment of their salary increments.
Among other things, co-host on the Talking Points show, Elvin Grant, reasoned that public servants have been waiting for years for the payment of their increments and were assured by the government before the recent elections that monies for these payments were allocated months ago.
However, to date, some of these increment payments are yet to be made and the public was told that payments have been held up by a backlog of incomplete performance appraisals for public servants.
Co-host, Damion Grange suggested that there should be a waiver of these performance appraisals in order to speed up the payment of these increment payments. His cohost, Grant, agreed.
“I’ve heard the Governor say on record that in certain instances, the interview [process] should be waived for applicants on Belonger status — they shouldn’t be interviewed,” Grant argued. “So, by the same token… if he’s going to waive it for this (Belongership applications), then people that have earned their increments … they should be waived the performance appraisals. They’ve waited for this.”
What the Governor said
Governor Rankin, in his report issued last month, proposed a number of measures which he said may help to deal with the backlog of Belongership applications facing the government and speed up the process to get the applications moving more quickly.
“It’s an entirely paper-based system, for example. It needs to be digitised going forward. We still have a system whereby we have effectively only had one official dealing with all these applications,” the Governor said at a press conference following the release of his report.
He added: “And then one might also have to consider how many of the individuals applying need to be interviewed. Some of them who may not qualify could simply have a decision made [if] they don’t meet the requirements, and maybe others who do clearly qualify and actually don’t need to be substantively interviewed… so, you would only interview those cases where there is doubt and further information is needed.”
Among other things, the Governor proposed in his report that the Immigration Board should only review complex or potentially problematical applications, reducing the need for their operational involvement in straightforward applications. He also suggested that the duty of first interviews with applicants be transferred from the Board to staff, empowering staff to make assessments.
Rankin said he recognised that the criteria and process for agreeing Residency and Belonger status is a contentious and emotive issue, and stated that he understood the need for it to be progressed with sensitivity. However, he said he was determined that those who are eligible for Residency and Belonger status have their applications processed in a timely and equitable way.
“The focus that the UK Government and I place on resolving the issues surrounding Residency and Belonger status is solely to ensure that eligible people, who have been lawfully living in the BVI for the required period, are given what they are entitled to,” the Governor stressed.
He pointed out that these entitlements should include a right to political representation, a right to own property and a right to access benefits and services.
The Governor added that the vast majority of outstanding applications are from individuals who were born elsewhere in the Caribbean, but have chosen to spend their lives contributing in the BVI.
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Ok then. Tell Archer stop forming the fool.
The public service is under the Governor and it is another of many areas where he has failed in his responsibilities although he gave himself and pass Governors high passing grades. I did not know it is credible and ethical to have someone evaluate and grade themselves and there results be allowed and accepted.
Co-host, Damion Grange suggested that there should be a waiver of these performance appraisals in order to speed up the payment of these increment payments. His cohost, Grant, agreed.
“I’ve heard the Governor say on record that in certain instances, the interview [process] should be waived for applicants on Belonger status — they shouldn’t be interviewed,” Grant argued. “So, by the same token… if he’s going to waive it for this (Belongership applications), then people that have earned their increments … they should be waived the performance appraisals. They’ve waited for this.”
Totally unbelievable and we wonder why the Territory is the way it is! Take taxpayer money and give everyone a raise whether they work or not. Wow!
As far as I am concerned, there is no good reason why appraisals should be late. What is the reason? If the reason is not the employees, then it should be waved.
I have been responsible for appraisals in the past and it was my responsibility to get them done. If I did not, then my own appraisal would have not been very good.
Not sure what is going on with this. It points to poor leadership.
Please! We are already in a situation where people go to get government jobs just to collect a salary. They put in no effort, they are regularly late (or don’t show up at all), and in certain departments the MAJORITY of staff clock in, leave for the day, and only return to clock back out so they get paid. Now you want to say take away appraisals and give them ALL increments regardless of their performance? I SAY NO! Any increment should be performance based. Are we not tired of the HORRENDOUS customer service we receive from almost every government department because the staff simply DON’T CARE and aren’t held accountable by anyone? It has become normal here and it shouldn’t be. As a community we should award those who show commitment and who are good at their job – this will encourage others to do better. If you’re a civil servant and you haven’t had your increments GO TO YOUR SUPERIOR! Ask them why the appraisals aren’t done, HOLD THEM ACCOUNTABLE – because the culture of laziness within the public service is an example set from THE TOP!
Paying deserving money to public servants has no comparison on the waviering of visa mmm that is why my country boasting of such a huge Gross budget has its people living in substandard infrastructure.
Do justice and give justice where it is due not making comparisons
The BVI is going into a very dark hole
Would the premier and the people of the festival committee sit with their families and engage their children in teaching them the controversial songs filled with explicits and glorifying guns and drugs . ? If you can do that then bring in the artist . If you cant then stand for principle .
Where is the Christian Council only GAY marriages are destroying our generation . This is off the headline but i had to give my opinion here
Where else in the world you just get a raise without no kind of assessment to determine if you even a good worker?
It happens all the time but it is not called a raise. It is called increasing the rate of pay to factor in rising inflation. This does not require a performance evaluation.
The appraisals are important because they need to know who actually doing work and who actually needed from who just there doing nothing and want pay increase.
Maybe if some of the civil servants had been processing immigration applications efficiently we wouldn’t have a big backlog?
The idea that one distinct issue should be treated in a manner appropriate for another distinct issue is a false equivalence, or put another way, is comparing apples and oranges.
Again, this is the tired old trope of “blame the non-belonger / British / differently ethnic” which serves for political discourse around these parts.
Where in the Immigration Act does it mention that the UK Government or its representative have a say in the granting of any immigration status in the Territory?
Please explain, how does waiving interview for belonger status relate to waiving appraisals? You good in your head? Y’all always have air space spitting out non sense
I agree, and I’m sure the majority of why there delayed because appraisals were not being done. It took me 4 years to receive an appraisal. I reminded my supervisor of it every year and it was not done. These persons in these supervisor positions and higher need to be held accountable. Do what is required of you.
To me the real question is who is to blame for these supervisors being allowed to not submit reviews still after all this time thus negatively affecting the people under them.
Example of a government “worker”I known for years..Total drunk..clocks in walks around town drinking in Spanish bar and bemoaning his problems..begging drink. clocks back out later.repeat.
Switzerland. Blame the appraisals but human resources is what have to be investigated for this lacking. Just go back to what Mr mccall for the welfare association. Indicated the last increment. Every time increment has to be paid to the hard working civil servants its always a problem. Fix the tam problem. Seta wicked fools
If performance appraisals are not being performed, that means supervisors/managers are not doing their jobs. Regardless of the situation with increments, performance appraisals are part of managing.