New Public Service in the works
Some changes are coming to the Public Service in this country.
So says Prime Minister the Rt. Hon. Freundel Stuart. The disclosure came as he noted that while people tend to prefer to stay with the “tried and tested”, change is a constant that cannot be escaped. He made the point while indicating that they are currently in the process of executing several “transformational programmes”, which he said will create a “new public service”.
Though not going into great detail about those programmes, PM Stuart, who holds ministerial responsibility for the Public Service, revealed that among them is the 360-degree Feedback Programme. He was speaking yesterday morning at the Hilton Hotel during an awards ceremony to honour 50 outstanding former public servants.
His comments came moments after he referred to the 2007 Public Service Act, which he noted has sought to improve the working of the multitude of workers in the State’s employ.
“It is not perfect, but we have sought to enshrine therein the necessary platforms for performance management; for fair and transparent recruitment and employment; for a code of conduct and ethics; for a code of discipline; for training; and generally for the provision of a modern framework for the management of so large and complex an organisation,” he said.
PM Stuart’s remarks were made as he further explained that the Public Service has been ever-evolving, from the early days dealing with more traditional approaches to areas such as education, health, tourism, agriculture and national development, to venturing into new areas such as international business, heritage and other aspects of tourism, cultural industries, renewable energy, and information and communications technology, among others. These developments, he said, have required new skills and new approaches on the part of the workers to meet the dynamic requirements of the modern age.
“We have had also to account to the citizenry of Barbados for improved processes to facilitate everyday life, and to find better ways of doing business to ensure that we generate and earn the foreign exchange that is necessary to support the standard of living and the quality of life that we have worked so hard to sustain. In all of this we have never forgotten our imperative to look after the most vulnerable amongst us,” he added. (JRT)
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