Problems finding staff for new Gov't Ministries

[nervewrecker]

http://www.trinidadexpress.com/news/_Bi ... 46465.html

The creation of four new ministries following the Prime Minister's Cabinet shake-up last Friday is sending ripples through the Public Service.
In Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar's announcement last Friday she unveiled the Ministry of Tertiary Education, a split from the Ministry of Science, Technology and Tertiary Education which will be headed by Fazal Karim.
There is now the Ministry of the Environment & Water Resources, taking the Environment aspect away from the Ministry of Housing and the Environment.
This will be headed by former WASA CEO Ganga Singh.
The Ministry of Communication will be led by Jamal Mohammed, and the Ministry of National Diversity & Social Integration will have former minister in the ministry of education Clifton de Coteau at the helm.
In a telephone interview, head of the Public Service Reynold Cooper told the Sunday Express that these new ministries can take as much as three months to get off the ground, as now several logistical hurdles present themselves, the biggest of which is finding staff.
Staffing falls under the Ministry of Public Administration.
"Each ministry has its standard staff, a Permanent Secretary and a Deputy Permanent secretary or secretaries. Then there's the head of accounts, a legal department, human resources, communications and information technology," Cooper explained. "Then once your ministry branches out there may be a need for specialists. The President, on the advice of the Prime Minister will give directions as to what forms the ministerial schedule. That schedule will determine how much staff a ministry requires and by extension how much space they will need."
Where a ministry is housed falls under the purview of the Property and Real Estate Division within the Ministry of Housing.
But a top official within the Ministry of Public Administration, speaking under condition of anonymity told the Sunday Express that these changes are actually "pain and tears for the average public officer".
The official said, "When these things happen, there is mass confusion, and ministries fight to acquire the best staff or to get rid of problem staff. The Service Commission then becomes involved, and they deal with the promotions of public servants to senior positions. The Ministry of Planning still hasn't gotten letters of promotion from last year's reshuffle."
Beyond staff, the little changes cause an issue as well. Signs need to be changed, cars need to be rebranded and thousands of dollars worth of stationery will be thrown out and thousands of dollars of stationery reprinted.
No one could give a figure on just how much it costs to create a new ministry, not even former prime minister Basdeo Panday, who said he could not even give a ballpark figure.
Cooper would only say, "If you go on vacation you may know how much you have and how much you want to spend, but things may come up and then you may end up spending much more."

Finding staff? What happen to all the graduates from UWI and COSTAATT with Environmental Management / Engineering / Technology and Water Resource Management & Technology?

[Rory Phoulorie]

Finding staff? What happen to all the graduates from UWI and COSTAATT with Environmental Management / Engineering / Technology and Water Resource Management & Technology?

They either:

1) Don't hold the correct party cards, or
2) Are not related to any of the ministers,or
3) Gained their degrees under the PNM administration and are therefore not properly qualified.

[nervewrecker]

Well the revised / restructured Bachelor degrees from COSTAATT makes sure graduates are 'well rounded'.
The following courses are mandatory:
-Introduction to Psychology
-Conflict Management and Resolution
-Communications I & II (written and oral)
-Risk Management
among some others so it should help with releasing a new breed unlike what we have out here. Those 3 are geared towards dealing with the general public as well as your coworkers, it actually does help.

[RIPEBREDFRUIT]

Finding staff? What happen to all the graduates from UWI and COSTAATT with Environmental Management / Engineering / Technology and Water Resource Management & Technology?

They either:

1) Don't hold the correct party cards, or
2) Are not related to any of the ministers,or
3) Gained their degrees under the PNM administration and are therefore not properly qualified.

Trinidad is FLOODED with a majority of this last comment.

Many of them even managed to weasel their way into the United States ILLEGALLY, there are one or two of them right on this tuner board who are there still illegally and like to make comments about life in trinidad which they know NOthing about.

[illumin@ti]

allyuh fellas doh pick up on the subtleties of sarcasm?

[turbosingh]

After all them qualifications i dont think they want that small salary!

[nervewrecker]

Well it have drugstore, pharmacy, grocery and hardware for them to work in then.
Employment hard to get this rounds, you get something thats right up your alley, take it, take the experience, learn something (cuz real world is nothing similar what paper handouts and lecturers notes had) and you can move on afterwards once you have experience.

[wagonrunner]

allyuh fellas doh pick up on the subtleties of sarcasm?

is unchoonk yuh hoping RBF could unchoonk dey?

[kual]

we dont have a problem. they would just hire their friends families. and friends of friends.

[RIPEBREDFRUIT]

allyuh fellas doh pick up on the subtleties of sarcasm?

is unchoonk yuh hoping RBF could unchoonk dey?

IF that was the intent then he really does NOT know me

[illumin@ti]

allyuh fellas doh pick up on the subtleties of sarcasm?

is unchoonk yuh hoping RBF could unchoonk dey?

IF that was the intent then he really does NOT know me

me doh unchoonk man

[Country_Bookie]

WTF is the Ministry of National Diversity & Social Integration? What is the mandate of this ministry? To encourage man dating man?

[Habit7]

WTF is the Ministry of National Diversity & Social Integration? What is the mandate of this ministry? To encourage man dating man?

I was asking the same question but the Minister don't know either http://www.trinidadexpress.com/news/De_ ... 46435.html

[aspsounds]

If man wha date man... wha u go do... more doubles for we

[avinashr]

daz like d ppl in UTT who fight up and do Petroleum.. some ah dem cya get a wok!

[SmokeyGTi]

OP you assuming they want entry level people.

i think what they talking about is the hassle of finding senior staff first - as most of those should be done via promotion (or else PSA would have a field day). Lord knows how long service commision would take to do that.

Worse yet, how long CPO takes to decides on terms and conditions of employment. Hell, i think CPO has a hand in deciding the number of staff required as well.

not to mention which ministry want to palm off staff on the new unit, which minister wah he famalee and fren where etc..

that statement where people not getting theri letters of appointment in a timely manner is so true. I have seen where people are paid an "interim" salary in the absence of that letter, when they get it (after CPO set the salary) it is sometimes less that their interim salary (which by now they have been receiving at least 1 yr now), so now they owe the govt a shietload of money, even though its not their fault.

talk bout pressure!

[cornfused]

Worse yet, how long CPO takes to decides on terms and conditions of employment. Hell, i think CPO has a hand in deciding the number of staff required as well.

CPO tragically decides the rate, PSTD does the staffing and org structure .

A word on the CPO, they will cause the end of any elements professionalism in the Public Sector .

Whatever process is used to come up with a rate, an amicable salary is never the resolution . If you are a professional on contract for 3 years , your 3 years of experience gained and going forward to the next possible contract may count for $3-400 dollars.
I speak to very senior persons who have major contentions with this organization. Not one or two persons 65-85% of those on contract have this issue with no solution in sight .

Many of them have left the jobs, with CPO still in the very farcical "negotiation" phase.