Public servants must do their job
Deputy Premier Lorna Smith has strongly criticised the inefficiency within the government that has resulted in some workers not being paid, emphasising the need for public servants to fulfil their responsibilities as the territory aims to enhance its visual appeal.
She pointed out the challenges faced by those tasked with keeping the territory clean in receiving compensation for their work.
Premier Dr Natalio Wheatley launched the RATED programme nearly two years ago, offering unemployed residents temporary government jobs. These positions sometimes focus on keeping roadsides clean, tasks previously handled by outsourced bush-cutting contracts.
However, the programme has faced criticism for being overly complex and for payment delays. This has discouraged some participants from continuing, hindering progress on roadside maintenance.
“Premier, I know you don’t want to call it like you see it. I know that you are doing your best, but Premier, you have to call it like you see it,” Smith told Dr Wheatley. “Your public servants have to do their job. Your public servants, Premier, have to pay the people, the people who work, the people who are trying to clean these roads.”
There have been numerous complaints from residents and tourists about the thick overgrowth lining the roads and encumbering road users as they traverse the roadways.
Smith highlighted Brewer’s Bay in the Second District and said it has become like a forgotten city, with unfinished and forgotten infrastructure projects and unkempt green spaces.
“It’s really, really a bad situation,” she added. “And this is not just in one district. It’s from one end of Tortola to the next. The Lord has blessed us with a lot of rain in the last few weeks. So everything has grown up. But at the same time, we have to keep our country tidy and clean.“
Smith said the issue is not rocket science and said some people are ready to work but noted that these people want to be paid. She urged the Premier to do whatever had to be done to resolve the issue.
“I know that you are as frustrated as I am, more so because you are the one who gets all the criticism,” Smith said. “We stand ready to help you and as I said, we have to call it like we see it and ask the public servants to do what they need to do in terms of making sure that people get paid.”
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Normally, the employer employee relationship consists of employees showing up, and doing what is asked for them and what they agreed to do for which they get paid an agreed amount. If you don’t show up, or don’t do your work do, then no pay, and in many places you get the sack after a couple of admonishments for tardiness, lack of performance etc. Oh, but wait…that’s how they do it elsewhere, so this being the BVis, we’re breaking out and doing our own thing. Just hand out the money and don’t worry about the work being done. That’s why the roads are mashed up, etc etc etc.
Not true for all. The BVI is no different that other places in the world. Everywhere in the world, you don’t show up for work you don’t get paid. What happened with the last set of people is they did show up but had to wait for a long time to be paid so they are discouraged from work with the program. That is what she is saying and that is what happened. The teams are supposed to consist of a certain number of people. If there are no teams, no one to do the work, work does not get done.
You want to blog negatively on the BVI so bad that you are grasping at straws now. Where in the story or the topic was it said that people didn’t show up? The story is in fact about the total opposite, people showing up to do work based on agreed payment, completed the said works but cannot be paid because of admin SNAFUs. Things may not be all fine and dandy in the BVI but not everything is bad.
No man/lady you misunderstand.
I did it, you do the work for 1 month at least very physical work and when you are finished you expect to be paid to buy food to feed yourself but guess what the pay isnt coming for another month and a half, so you who did the work has to go 2 months and a half with no pay sweating every day and probably end up begging even the young ladies in the office end up asking for money to get by.
This is the type of thing that gets people upset.
“This has discouraged some participants from continuing, hindering progress on roadside maintenance.”
Yea as its said when you find a donkey ride it. Who wants to be the donkey?
Well, it seems I wasn’t clear. The civil servants and or their higher ups are the ones not doing their jobs by not funding work desired. They still get paid, and there is no consequence for failing to release the necessary funds. That this happens points to failures further up the chain of command, and those people still get paid. See comment from Public Servant.
You seem not to understand how finances work in the public service. Ask before you blog
What you said is accurate so there is no need to clarify or explain. There are alot of lazy Civil Servants who do very little work and disappear from the job but get paid in full every month. How do I know? I work with some of them.
That’s what the politicians want. They are not concerned about value for money or to insure that work is done before payment. Their only concern is the next election. All of them make me sick
What jobs are the public servants not doing. Tell your premier and the other ministers to stop interfering in processes that have clear transparent policies. And tell them to provide the resources public servants need. Don’t twist this up. Resources resources resources to work Honorable deputy in our corner Premier.
Leaders need to lead and Do their jobs as well. It starts at the head
You need to start doing your job by putting priorities in place :
Policing
1. the Premier to release spending money to Health Care and Education and Festival activities last
2. The minimum wage increase
3. Price control on goods and services
4. A nurse by the government high school
5. More counselors in the primary schools
6. Proper maintenance of all the facilities at the Hospital
Then you can start laying blame
This is what I am talking about. Politicians trying to throw public officers under the bus to cover their inadequacies. Ms Lorna what inGod’s name are u talking about. Who controls the money? It is not the public officers processing that is the issue. Prioritize your spending and adhere to the checks and balances process. This type of remark is more evidence that there needs to be greater separation of politics from the running of the public service
All you thought Lorna was the savior in your corner take that. All in the oppositions would have been worst. Drugs in the east drugs in the west, drugs in one m. These politicians are sell outs.
The problem is people not being fired and replaced when they not doing their job like in the private sector. It come like you only get removed if somebody don’t like you cause maybe you spoke the truth about something.
To do this resources must first be available to perform. One of these days a public servant will find the strength to due. Provide the resources first.
So the title of the article, is misleading!
It really should have read: Public servants that control the public purse, should pay public servants..
..We are led to believe, that public servants are not serving the public..Nonetheless,if the article is correct, then it is safe to conclude, that grass cutting,is very much, a lacking commodity..
In my view, it’s been a lacking, since my days as a kid. And with increased surpluses over the decades, there’s no reason why this country, couldn’t be spic and span.
The ball is in your court Premier, to hire REAL public servants, that are willing to administer, fully, remunerations, for services rendered!
Politics. How you want to blame the man who supposed to be doing the work and don’t want to blame the man that supposed to make sure the work getting do? When people don’t do their job and cant provide a sensible reason why you get rid of them and find someone who can/ will do it. When you can come to work clock in and go about your business after and still get full pay what work gonna get do? Trash out some of these department heads over the inefficiency of their department I bet you the ship start to sail straight again.
TOO MANY PUBLIC SERVANTS COMING TO WORK IN THE MORNINGS, CLOCKING IN AND DISAPPEARING FOR THE ENTIRE DAY, THEN COME BACK TO CLOCK OUT ON A REGULAR BASIS AND STILL TRYING TO JUSTIFY WHY THEY SHOULD GET SALARY INCREASE EVERY OTHER MONTH. IN SOME CASES THE PUBLIC SERVICE IS A MESS.
Do not forget those civil servants who taxi all day. A free government monthly check.
This woman needs to go home and take a nap. What are her solutions. You busy jumping into the arms of S!0w W@nde and become another member of his A$$ C!0wn Brigade with no agenda on how to fix anything, including improving financial services and Labour.This is pathetic
All Luarna in the Corna know to do is say, “we have identified a consultant for this or that”. Her go to response when she gets stumped by a question.
What they are doing by constantly hiring consultants is erode the treasury for self gain as the consultant will likely be connected with a family member or friend via club, as well as rob the government of the knowledge building opportunity.
All of these politicians including Luarna are charlatans.
The moralle of the entire work force is down. Therefore, asking them give what they do not have is ludicrous and insensitive.
Pay the people a living livable wage. Pay outstanding increments so people can catch up on bills and go do medical procedures they been putting off.
Grow a conscience and stop behaving like a dictator.
People are people to.
I am afraid the BVI is in a very bad place with leadership (including public service and private sector) that operates disingenuous, deceitful, unprincipled and so power hungry they cant even see their own faults or just don’t care as long as they and or their friends and family benefits.
This particular Minister has a lot to do with the dilapidated state of the BVI public service. After her own failed attempts to transform the Public service while she worked there, when her brother and Husband were in power, she was the puppet master pulling strings and blackballing able competent public servants and others so that she could control who made decisions and gave advice to government. She made sure ass kissers and yes people were promoted over capable qualified people. I can say more but I’ll leave it at this. THE CHICKENS COMING HOME TO ROOST. YOU REAP WHAT YOU SEW.
It will take a while to get out of this mess because the puppet masters are still at work and the British are the best at that type of game and they really think of us as puppets (second class or in some cases .third class beings).
WELL , FIRST THEY ( FRON HAE ) SECOND , THEY ARE ENTITLED AND WHEN THEY GETS EXPO , ITS ALWAYS SOMEONE ELSE’S FAULT ( @ ASS U ARE ) LEAVE YHE LADY ALONE , SHE CANNOT PERFORM MIRACLES / WHAT DID YOU DO FOR ( W&SD ) OR IN THE ( HOA) EH ,WANNABE SPEAK- HA ) EXCEPT FOR BANGING OFF YOUR TRAP AND LOOK AT ( W&SD ) NOW , AFTER YOU HAD TOOK OVER ,FROM MR PENN , NOW YOU WANT TO CONTROL THE 3RD DISTRICT , TRYING ALL KINDS OF THEATRICS – SHENANIGANS ETC THE DUDE WITH THE SCARECROW HAIR STYLE IS A JOKE AND YOU ARE A JOKER ( NEITHER OF YOU HAS BEEN SAYING ANYTHING ON THE GUNS / DRUGS / COLDBLOODED EXECUTION STYLE MURDERS OR EVEN THE AMOUNT OF CORRUPTION THAT HAS BECOME THE NORM FOR SOME TIME NOW , ITS ALL ABOUT POWER , PLEASE GO AND SING YOUR * FREE THE DREW * SONG , AND EXOSE YOUR SUBTERFUGE MENTALITY ,
our government must do their job as well!!
the deputy governor and the governor has failed in that regard. the civil servants suffer no consequences for lack of performance but they get benefits of a stable income. this retards the system and everything becomes inefficient and takes a long time. If it wasn’t for some civil servants with the work ethic to compensate for the others performance nothing would get done at all. And those are the ones who really need their increments, the others just need to be happy they got a job at all.
She has a point. Why should it take two months to cut a cheque for bush cutting? Are they paid by the hour? What is the formula? Do you have to wait until they have completed the job? Does somebody from Public Works or Health Ministry or whoever overseas the rated programme have to go and verify that the job was done? Whatever it is, it should not take more than a week, week and a half tops, even with the Government’s red tape, to cut a doggone cheque. That is the context. That is what she said and it seems to me what the Honourable was speaking. So she has a point, a big point. There are all sorts of excuses for not doing your job. You did not pay somebody that completed work for a whole month and a half, but you don’t give a hoot because in that timeframe you got three cheques. Come on. Bashing the Government seems to now have surpassed using basic common sense.
If the Government invests in keystroke technology it will save them a lot of money since lot’s of civil servants should be laid off for not being at work/working or spending their paid time on Social Media – simple as that.
Get those inmates at the prison to cut the dam roadside bush. End story.
MONEY…..The LOVE of it is the ROOT of ALL EVIL.