An analysis of the existing financial situation following the budgetary proposal which took effect from September 1, 2013, is being done within all the ministries and departments, with a deadline set for September 30. – Prime Minister Freundel Stuart, September 3, on concerns about the release of temporary workers, non-payment of salaries and stopping payment on acting allowances.
The Prime Minister’s comments followed a 90-minute meeting with the top brass of the Ministry of the Civil Service at Government Headquarters on the same day against the backdrop of widespread disquiet among public servants about their jobs and emoluments.
According to Press reports, he said there was no need for alarm as a lot of it was without basis as “many of the queries raised relate to salaries and wages for August which had nothing to do with the [August 13] Budget”.
One report said he explained that the results of the analyses would be analyzed and then “we will know what will be the real impact of the ten per cent cut in Government’s expenditure on the emoluments of temporary employees, persons in acting positions and substitutes. We will then know if anyone presently employed will be affected, but our preliminary analyses show no cause for undue disquiet”.
As my friends, the Americans, are fond of saying: You. Have. Got. To. Be. Kidding. Me!
Some of my other friends asked, what kind of bassackward approach to governance is being pursued by the Freundel Stuart administration?
First, you pop off all these temps and subs, cut the acting allowances without warning and then call for an analysis of their impact? After the Budget?
Pray tell what would have informed the Budget proposals then, if not an analysis of the number of temps and subs in each and every ministry and department and the savings their reduction would generate along with the amount of money saved by discontinuing the acting allowances?
That information could have been provided by the accountants and personnel officers within a day and be on the desk of the Minister of the Civil Service for sharing with the Minister of Finance down the corridor by close of the workday.
Instead, the Prime Minister wants us to believe that since his failed Minister of Finance failed to carry out such an analysis prior to the Budget, this ex post facto “analysis” (more realistically, post mortem!) will, like some deus ex machina, create the false impression that he is in fact running the country and is on top of all events.
But this is the action of a man behaving in shameless defiance of a pre-election promise, as reported by the state-run CBC.
It would be recalled that during a mass canvass of the St George North and South constituencies, Stuart said his Government would not be cutting jobs in the public service despite the tough economic times as it would be “a recipe for disaster and would create additional hardships for Barbadians”.
And now, we pretend to be doing in-house consultations while hardships are being visited upon those who can least bear them, even as we blame a glitch in SmartStream for leaving off the names of some of those being undeservingly punished for the political misfeasance of others. But the die is cast. Long ago.
According to acircular on the Implementation Of Budgetary Proposals, dated August 26, signed by the Acting Director of Finance and Economic Affairs (will you be losing your acting allowance too, Martin?).
Under Temporary Employees, Substitutes And Acting:
2. As announced, it is expected that reductions totalling $50 million would be made in the areas of temporary employees, substitutes and acting. Consequently, ministries and departments are asked to reduce the amount allocated in the 2013-2014 Estimates for Other Personal Emoluments by 10%. This is expected to yield $19.5 million in this financial year. Please note that further reductions will have to be made in the 2014-2015 financial year in order to achieve the savings of $30.5 million projected in that financial year.
You will be advised in the upcoming budget circular of the percentage reductions expected under Other Personal Emoluments in 2014-2015 in order to get the savings of $30.5 million.
Still playing by ear, but this is the kicker.
Under Transfers (except those specifically mentioned, the reduction is 12 per cent):
6. In addition, please note that you will receive separate advice from the Ministry of the Civil Service on the implementation of the Budgetary Proposals as they relate to human resources. However, you should advise the entities for which you have responsibility that if the instructions of the Ministry of the Civil Service are not followed, the Ministry of Finance will not provide any additional funds to cover the salaries of persons who cannot be accounted for in the system.
That’s what I thought I heard!
• Albert Brandford is an independent political correspondent.
