The Private Sector Commission (PSC) yesterday voiced concern over the “many” recent dismissals in the public sector, while State Minister Joseph Harmon maintained that those let go were doing party work but were being paid by government.
“The Private Sector Commission is alarmed at the climate of fear which has arisen in the national community because of what is being seen as selective dismissals and would like to urge that the labour laws on termination and discrimination and best practices in human resource management be followed to allay fears of victimisation and political discrimination,” the PSC said in a statement issued yesterday.
The statement comes amidst ongoing claims by the opposition PPP/C that the APNU+AFC government has embarked on a witch-hunt in the public service and that professional workers are being victimised.
The PSC said it was particularly concerned about “the perceived political influence” over the dismissals and authorities not adhering to established procedures and not allowing for natural justice.
“The laws which govern terminations of service are clear, that just and sufficient cause for dismissals must be established and that such cause must relate to the conduct and capacity of the employee,” it said, while noting that the Termination of Employment Act further places the burden of proof for establishing cause on the employer and, consequently, if just and sufficient cause cannot be established, there can be no valid or lawful grounds for dismissal.
“The great majority of those dismissed /terminated in public humiliation gives credence to widespread perception of political discrimination and victimisation despite human rights guaranteed in our Constitution and labour laws and in international treaties (conventions),” the PSC added and it urged the State and its agents to build confidence and cultivate an environment conducive to fostering national trust through “fairness, equality of treatment, non-discrimination, and social justice for all citizens.”
At a post-Cabinet press briefing yesterday, Harmon was asked about the number of persons who were dismissed or did not have their contracts renewed or were sent on leave since May. He could not give an exact figure but stressed that those let go were doing political party work for the PPP while it was in government.
“It’s not like thousands of employees being fired. They are persons who, I have indicated here at these press conferences, who were doing primarily political work for the PPP and [were] being paid by the government,” he said.
Harmon told reporters that government has made a very clear distinction where this sort of arrangement is concerned. “We were not concerned about what political party you represent, what your political views are, if you are doing government work then we have no problem with that. But then if you are being paid by government to do party work we have a problem with that because the party must pay you to do their work,” he stressed.
Harmon further said the former government placed a number of public servants in jeopardy when it opted not to renew contracts. “Had they been in the traditional public service, there is a particular procedure which has to be followed but they forced a lot of public servants to go onto this contract arrangement by giving them inducements of a gratuity every six months and three months…but what that did was that it gave government control over these public servants,” he said.
He noted that public servants were left with a fear that if they did not “behave themselves in a way that the government considered to be appropriate then they can be let go.”
