- NEWSDAY.CO.TT - A la Une - 09/Sep 07:48

The plague of public service contract employment

The recent reassurance by the prime minister to discontinue the obscene preponderance of contract employment in the public service is being embraced by TTUTA with cautious optimism. This has been a vexing issue the association has been consistently highlighting for over a decade, describing it as the emergence of a "parallel public service." While there are specific circumstances under which people can be deployed in the public service on short-term contractual basis, the past two decades have witnessed a propensity by successive governments to even fill established positions with people on short term contracts, completely bypassing the service commissions. The issue was highlighted in the 2023 report of the Auditor General, with the Ministry of Education being cited as the chief culprit. This observation confirmed what TTUTA had always said. The association publicly reminded the authorities of the revised national policy for contract employment (subject to the Statutory Authorities Act, Chapter 24.01), which came into effect on 01/08/04 as guidelines issued by the Chief Personnel Officer (CPO) circular memorandum 12/2/1 Vol. IV dated 18/05/06. This circular spells out in specific details the manner in which short-term contract positions can be created and filled. The announcement by the prime minister is a promising reassurance that the government is committed to preserving the concept of separation of powers, a fundamental pillar of our democratic system. While many governments may have lamented the inefficiency and low productivity levels of the public service, they neglected to address the structural systems that contribute to these outcomes, touting instead the dismantling of the Commissions as the panacea for the dysfunctional nature of the service. From inferior remuneration to extremely poor working conditions, short-staffing and resource deprivation, public officers have been forced to endure ridicule and demonisation from politicians and members of the public alike. Cautious optimism is logical given the nature of politics and past experiences of unfilled promises. TTUTA is mindful that the translation of the prime minister’s intent into reality would take time, for it attempts to dismantle an entrenched arrangement that will be staunchly defended by certain sectors that handsomely benefit from the retention of the status quo. TTUTA is cautiously looking forward to teaching positions being filled in an expeditious manner by the Teaching Service Commission consistent with Public Service regulations. It is also hoped that the positions of school safety officers, business office assistant, information and communication technology technician, school guidance officers, school social workers and early childhood care and education teachers would finally become part of the permanent public service structure and under the purview of the service commission. These people have been enduring the indignity of fixed salaries in untenured positions that are subject to the fanciful discretion of politicians, despite the critical role they have been performing in the education system. Keeping such large numbers of persons in these untenured contract positions for decades violates the fundamental principles of good industrial relations, denying them the right to be part of the collective bargaining process. It is also hoped that the various ancillary positions in schools will now be filled in a timely manner. Teachers can now anticipate administrative issues at the level of the ministry being expeditiously resolved because clerical and administrative positions are no longer permanently vacant. TTUTA would have repeatedly lamented the unofficial freeze in public sector recruitment that had practically paralysed the public service and its consequential negative impact on the overall delivery of public service. Hopefully, now the respective Commissions will be provided with the requisite resources and administrative support to execute their mandate. Job security with attendant functional accountability systems should be a basic benefit for someone who serves the public on behalf of the state. After working for over a decade, a state employee should be able to approach a financial institution assured their employment is secured. While there are many flaws in the structure and functioning of the public service, such deficiencies can be constructively addressed by a combination of political will and legislative reform, mindful of certain underlying democratic principles. Public service modernisation has received a lot of lip service over the decades from successive government. It is hoped that along with the fulfillment of this promise to permanently fill existing vacant positions in the public service, along with the regularisation of many contract positions created over the years out of necessity, will not just be a platitude but form the basis for the transformation of the public service. The post The plague of public service contract employment appeared first on Trinidad and Tobago Newsday.