Help on the way for temporary public officers

ALL temporary public officers with more than three years continuous service in the Public Service, will be appointed.

 

In stating this yesterday, the Minister of Finance and Economic Affairs, Christopher Sinckler said that a Committee is to advise Cabinet on the procedure, methodology and legal requirement for the execution of a programme to appoint the officers.

 

“In the coming weeks it is our intention to speak more specifically to the details of this initiative and the work of the committee, but I would like to say to those officers who currently suffer from this particular ailment that your Government has heard your cries and help is on the way,” the Minister said.

 

The Finance Minister said that it is the fact that very many of the officers, some of whom have worked in excess of a decade in the employ of central Government, currently occupy the unsecured and unenviable position of non-appointed officers.

 

He made the point that a large part of the problem relates to the fact that there are no vacant and established positions to which they can be appointed even though they come to work every day and by and large, paid in full and on time, with some exceptions, for the work that they do.

 

According to him, “This situation has put many of these individuals, their families and their livelihoods in a state of suspended animation as it is nearly impossible for any of them to plan out a secure future from a position of insecurity.”

 

As such, the Minister went on to state that few, if any of them, can plan for such things as educational advancement, mortgages or other types of financial loans to improve self or property, as financial institutions cite their unsecured employment status.

 

Sinckler said that Government had given long and fair consideration to this situation which he noted, caused tremendous discomfort and disquiet among a very critical class of public officers. (JB)