The Dominica government has confirmed that it is undertaking a job classification exercise for the island’s public servants.
Acting Minister for the public service, Ambrose George, says despite the prudent fiscal measures being faced, Government is hopeful that it will be able to implement recommendations emanating from the job evaluation exercise.
The public service union has been calling for a job classification exercise, due to changing roles and demands in the public service.
The union wanted that exercise treated differently from salary negotiations.
“Significant investments both in terms of time and money have been made to focus on developing our human capital in the public service,” the minister said.
He said that was being done through the commissioning of the recently concluded human resource development consultancy led by the establishment personnel and training department.
George disclosed that Government has formally adopted all of the seven reports and recommendation.
“In keeping with a commitment given to the public sector representative bodies to reassess the value of jobs in the public service, the establishment, personnel and training department is currently engaged in another consultancy to conduct a job evaluation and classification review exercise,” he explained.
“Government is hopeful that even with the prudent fiscal measures by which it is constrained it will be able to implement within reason the recommendations emanating from the job evaluation exercise,” George told a gathering of public servants.
He was speaking at the official launch of Public Service Day 2012.
The theme of the day scheduled to be observed on December 7 (2012), is “Our Public Service – transforming, modernizing, positively changing”.
This is good news. Once again, this is a clear manifestation that the DPSU is working on behalf of its members in an era of declining union influence. I listen to Letang on his Wednesday radio progrmme on Q and it is clear that his heart is in the right place. (Letang is like another Fabien, who recently passed- dedicated public servants who worked together in the Ministry of Health and Environment as Environmental Health Officers.)
Mr. Letang is right to demand that job classification must be dealt with separately from salary negotiations. In fact, both Parties should support this initiative without any major quarrel, except for the details of how the classifications are done and the overall impact on the morale of public sector employees. Every large bureaucracy undergoes such re-classification in an era of constant change in the delivery of public services, which demands new approaches in the way public services are delivered. Reclassification ought to be encouraged not despite the prudent fiscal measures being faced by government but to bring increased efficiencies and productivity to the public sector, which will help our bad fiscal situation in the long term.
This should initiative should be viewed as an investment in our people that will bring long term returns rather than an expense to government in rough economic times. Government must do all within its power to increase the performance, productivity and morale of the hard working public sector employees. The minister is right that such significant investments both in terms of time and money are necessary to focus on developing our human capital. Well done sir!
public officers beware of the wolves in sheep’s clothing. nothing will come out of this!!
That I want to know
allu they need to put job classification for, a big cabinet and one man calling the shots… big 60 year old men,
?
What happened to the recommendations of the HR Audit?
Damn good question!!