PSU President Says Changes to Legal Officers’ Terms of Employment is Illegal

Dean Flowers

We also received a comment from Dean Flowers, the President of the Public Service Union. He says the issue was raised today in the Joint Union’s meeting with the government counterpart. Flowers maintained that matters involving the salary of any public officer fall within the purview of the Public Service Commission. Flowers asserted that the authority of the Judicial and Legal Service Commission and the Security Services Commission is not parallel with the Public Service Commission.

Dean Flowers, President, Public Service Union

“There is only one General Revenue Fund and there is only one public service. Everybody that gets paid who works for the government out of the General Revenue Fund is public officers. Now, the Public Service Regulation speaks of the establishment also of a Judicial and Legal Service Commission and a Security Services Commission. That does not, there is no provision in there as far as my legal understanding is concerned, that makes these commissions parallel to the Public Service Commission. These are commissions established to appoint, transfer, and deal with these officers. But, where your disciplinary procedures and your salary, your super annual payments are concerned, those are the role of the Public Service Commission. So, the Security Service Commission in my view was wrong. What is even more shameful, and that is becoming a word synonymous with that group over there, is that these legal officers were previously governed by the Public Service Regulations. That is clearly stated in their terms and conditions of employment. These legal officers who sit on the Legal and Judicial Service Commission should know that you cannot change somebody’s terms and conditions of service or contract of employment unilaterally and without consultations. And hence the reason I said, it would appear that the word shame is become synonymous with some of the individuals that represent this group of individuals. We maintain that there was no consultation. We maintain that they did not have the legal right and basis to simply wake up one day to pass an S.I. changing the term and condition under which those legal officers and by extension he judiciary is governed. We spoke a little on that today, and that matter will be looked at and addressed.”

Reporter

“The Prime Minister is now saying if we allow them to stay at the salaries they are they will leave the public service we won’t have any legal officers because they are being paid more than here.”

Dean Flowers

“So, the Prime Minister now speaks out against the Maya people and the balkanization of the south and he won’t support that. Is he saying now he supports this segregation and discrimination of technical service officers?”