By LETRE SWEETING
Tribune Staff Reporter
lsweeting@tribunemedia.net
AFTER 31 years without a promotion, Telsene Thompson thought her moment had finally come on Friday.
Public Services Minister Pia Glover-Rolle and other officials gathered at the Department of Physical Planning to announce the promotions of 60 people who missed out on career advancement from 2020-2022.
Much to her frustration, Ms Thompson was not among the beneficiaries.
“I feel very slighted today,” she said after the press conference. “I thought I would have been in it.”
Ms Thompson said she began working at the Ministry of Works in 1980. She said she runs a section at the ministry, has qualifications, good annual confidential reports, and shows up to work on time, but has continually been ignored for promotion. She said she retires in two years.
“I feel bad about it today, really bad,” she said. “I’m not happy at all. My next step is I’m going to see the permanent secretary to see what happened.”
The Tribune could not determine why her superiors had not recommended her for promotion.
However, Mrs Glover-Rolle said those who believe they have been overlooked can contact the public service’s hotline with their concerns. She said hundreds have been overlooked over the years, noting a department or ministry must recommend employees for promotion because the Ministry of Public Service does not know who they are.
“We’re allowing public servants to reach out and say, ‘me, I think I should be there,’” she said. “We’re resolving those issues. What we’re doing is a very comprehensive exercise, so if it’s a matter of them being not only promoted, but maybe they are due for some reclassification, maybe even confirmation in some instances, we’re making sure that we handle everything that is outstanding on their files in this one exercise.”
Mrs Glover-Rolle said: “It’s going to be a bright Christmas for public servants.”
Tiffany Clarke, who said she was due for a promotion for seven years, expressed joy at getting her letter on Friday.
Aileen Spencer had been in the public service for 35 years and was delighted to be advanced.
“To make it more impactful,” she said, “I got double promotions at one time. I had one in 2016, and my promotions this time went back to 2020 and 2022. So I am happy Minister Pia Glover-Rolle thought it necessary that public servants like me get what we deserve because we have a lot of public servants who work, who perform, who have bachelor’s degrees, and for years, we’re not able to be compensated.”
Comments
mandela 5 months ago
After 31 years and no promotion is a disgrace, now that she is standing up they probably will fire her now instead, because that's a Disgrace.
AnObserver 5 months ago
Maybe she isn't qualified to be promoted? You shouldn't automatically get promoted just because you worked at some place for a certain amount of time. You should get promoted because you are a good worker and can handle more responsibility.
hrysippus 5 months ago
Many employees, especially those employed by the State, have an attitude of entitlement.; perhaps engendered by the PLP's past policy in education of Social Promotion, by which students were promoted to the next higher grade level regardless of their performance but based solely on the fact that they had spent a year in the old grade. If this state employed worker has spent 31 years doing exactly the same job then, in my opinion, he or she, does not deserve any promotion. Promotion should entail greater responsibilities or greater production, not simply showing up to do the same ol' job.
Topdude 5 months ago
Shame, shame, shame. Shame on the Government for lacking a coherent promotions procedure. I wonder , though, what are the political, physical, emotional and religious characteristics of this person and the extent to which she is amenable to the the other non written promotion variables we use in the Bahamas? There has to be something(s) holding/not holding her back ( no pun intended).
Sickened 5 months ago
Donkey's are meant to be ridden. If you're willing to stay in a position even though you vehemently believe that you're entitled to a promotion, then you're a donkey. Lesson for your folk... if you want and deserve more then go out and get it. Don't sit around waiting for your name to be called.
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