Report: Civil servants lack scrutiny

As of Wednesday, April 13, 2016

By RASHAD ROLLE

Tribune Staff Reporter

rrolle@tribunemedia.net

CIVIL servants in the Bahamas face largely inadequate scrutiny for their job performance, resulting in productivity flaws throughout the public sector, the State of the Nation Report from the National Development Plan Secretariat says.

The report adds that there is often little link between the quality of one’s performance in the public sector and the compensation packages people receive, a factor that drags down “effective programme and project management.”

This is not the first time the public sector has been criticised, but because the concerns are highlighted by the NDP Secretariat, the government could face renewed pressure to initiate reforms that have implications for thousands in the civil service.

“Individual ministries generally do not have well developed monitoring systems,” the report says, adding that this problem is most pronounced in the Ministries of Education and Health.

“Public service capacity is also a major challenge for effective programme and project management; for example, a very small percentage of the service is categorised as senior managerial, while over a quarter are clerical, temporary, or miscellaneous staff.

“The recruitment and training of individuals with the required technical and leadership skills is a significant challenge, but problems are aggravated by existing performance management practices which appear to be insufficiently results-focused and insufficiently linked to consequences for the employee. Pay-at-risk for performance is not currently a feature of the compensation structure.”

Nonetheless, unlike some developing countries in the region, the size of the public sector in the Bahamas is not the problem, the report says, adding that about 20 per cent of the workforce being employed by the government is “right sized” and in line with expectations.

The problem is that inadequate priority is given to “acquiring highly skilled staff with competencies in key areas such as planning, project execution, strategic management and other technical skills specific to respective ministries.

“…The limited use of strategic and operating plans and performance metrics and the historic absence of integrated and programme-based budgeting can be seen not only as operational challenges but as gaps in reporting to Parliament and ultimately the public,” the report says.

Researchers have often said that pressure from unions hinder governments in the Caribbean region from reforming the public sector.

However, John Pinder, president of the Bahamas Public Services Union (BPSU) told The Tribune when contacted yesterday that this is a “lie from the pits of hell” when it comes to the Bahamas.

He said he has repeatedly urged the government to transition to a merit based salary scale.

“There needs to be less emphasis on qualifications and more emphasis on performance,” he said.

Asked if union members would embrace reform, he said: “If the union agrees to the reforms, who they (going) complain to? It don’t matter if they complain.”

He added that despite popular notions that no one gets held accountable in the public sector, industrial agreement clauses that his union signs onto always allow for people to be fired if they score below average more than once in assessment tests.

Mr Pinder said political interference is responsible for public sector weaknesses.

“[Politicians] bring people who are not qualified, their cronies who are not qualified to work on top of people who are trained and qualified,” he said.

“At least 25 per cent of people in the public sector get their jobs through political cronyism.”

The report can be accessed at http://www.cob.edu.bs/DOCS/VISION2040SNR.pdf

Economist 8 years ago

At last a report that is saying it as it is.

Publius 8 years ago

I don't expect to see any political leader in my lifetime who has the political will coupled with the skill and know-how to tackle the public service. That is one giant no politician likely cares enough about progress to awaken, battle and appropriately reform. Fighting the public service (and it would be a term-long fight) is a battle akin to signing your own termination slip as a politician (so they seem to see it). So we know what that ultimately means. The flip side is not wanting to disrupt the running of the country by upsetting the pubic service, but it is an upset that must happen if this country is to have any hope of advancement.

SP 8 years ago

........ Public service incompetence, dwarfed by Permanent Secretary corruption! ........

John Pinder unquestionably hit the nail square on the head! After decades of using public service positions as personal rewards for political cronyism, the public service sector has long deteriorated to a state of disfunction.

The much larger unaddressed elephant in the room is systemic corruption at the Permanent Secretary level!

These individuals transcend both political parties/politicians and are the official "keepers of corruption"!

From time immemorial ALL corrupt practices, deeds and plans in every ministry have been administered by Permanent Secretary's!

Bahamas has been crippled and made dysfunctional by systemic corruption at the very top, managed by, or under advisement of Permanent Secretary's.

asiseeit 8 years ago

TRUTH!

asiseeit 8 years ago

The public sector has been used as a vote buying scheme since time. They are entitled to swing the rest of The Bahamas. #THISISCORRUPTION

sheeprunner12 8 years ago

The underlings only get away with what the bosses allow them to get away with ......... the problem is that the top is dysfunctional and non-performing ........ VISION and ACCOUNTABILITY NEEDED

Greentea 8 years ago

How many reports do we need to tell us this? Wasn't a sweeping one done when Mitchell was in charge of the public service? Wasn't another done aimed at finance reform completely when HAI was prime minister? No one has acted. Not ONE! Permanent Secretaries sway according to the government they serve. They have very little power to stand and most are between a rock and hard place- unions on one side and politicians on the other. As currently configured, it is not a position for individuals with vision. It is not a leadership position in the truest sense where they go in an run a ministry with goals for education say, hiring teachers etc- if it is the ministry of education. The language in their title speak volumes- Permanent Secretaries- The administer but they do not RUN ministries. Unfortunately ministers do- who often know jack.