Rolle: Promotion exercise in three ministries

Rolle: Promotion exercise in three ministries
Minister with responsibility of the National Insurance Board (NIB), Brensil Rolle.

NASSAU, BAHAMAS – Scores of employees across three government ministries have been promoted, according to Minister of the Public Service and National Insurance Brensil Rolle

Last June, Cabinet approved $8 million for a mass promotion exercise within the public sector.

In a recent interview on ILTV’s ‘Beyond the Headlines’ with Clint Watson, Rolle said he and his Cabinet colleagues are of the view that foreign consultants should no longer be considered for jobs, which Bahamians are more than capable of performing.

He said “gone are the days” when government looks for experts outside of The Bahamas as “we have enough talent”

Yesterday, Rolle told Eyewitness News Online that government is making steady progress in this regard.

“We took the position that we had to examine what was going on and we had to determine,” he said.

“After a thorough examination of all of the records and all of the files, we began the promotion process.

“We have, in fact, nearly exhausted the $8 million placed aside in the public service budget for this process.

“So, we are looking particularly at three particular ministries that we feel were grossly overlooked.

“It’s the Ministry of Housing and Environment, the Ministry of Education, and the Ministry of Public Works.”

Rolle also announced that public servants who have been contractually working for more than 10 years without any benefits will be made permanent and pensionable.

“We’ve taken the considered position that anyone who has been employed by the public service for more than 10 years, we are bringing them on to be permanent and pensionable,” the minister said.

“We understand that there are thousands of ordinary Bahamians who’ve been working for this long time.

“So, we are starting with those persons who have put in more than 10 years.

“When we’ve completed that exercise, we will go to those individuals that have put in five to nine years in the service, and that’s how we propose to address this issue.

“We understand exactly how difficult it is, but again, as the people’s government, we have taken the decision to bring these people on forthwith.”

 

About Matthew Moxey

Matthew Moxey is a broadcast reporter with Eyewitness News and also serves as the station’s morning radio news anchor for 103.5 The Beat. He joined Eyewitness News as an intern, which led to him becoming a full-time broadcast reporter with the news station. Some of his notable work includes his correspondence with international networks such as CNN, FOX and NBC; his reporting on the COVID-19 pandemic; and his live coverage of monster storm Hurricane Dorian.