Over 2 000 public service employees who are either awaiting confirmation of the position in which they are now acting or are have been in temporary positions for three years, are to get permanent appointment.
Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley made the announcement today in the House of Assembly while leading off debate on the Public Service Amendment Bill, 2025.
Nine hundred and twenty-five appointed officers who are eligible for appointment on promotion because they have been in that position for three years or more and another 1 170 temporary officers in a similar position will benefit from the amendment.
Mottley said it was an attempt by Government to regularise the positions of those Civil servants. She attributed the delay in part to a non-functioning Human Resources Management Information System which she projected should be fully operational by the end of next year.
The Prime Minister also said Government was planning to give a favourable response to the demands from Police officers, nurses and teachers for issues such as promotions, increased wages, long leave and promotions to be addressed.
She indicated under consideration were better remuneration for various levels in the Barbados Police Service, a more just system of promotion in the Police Service and a long-leave policy for teachers and nurses, on which she said Government was nearing the end of discussions with the trade unions.
Opposition Leader Ralph Thorne said the Prime Minister’s measures outlined to fix long-standing issues involving public servants such as the police officers, nurses and teachers smacked of elections being imminent.
He said there was still much discontent in the Public Service and was particularly critical of the Government’s policy of contracting people to work at top levels of the service, arguing this was against the law. (GC)
