CIVIL SERVICE ASSOCIATION OUTLINES ITS WORK PLAN FOR 2001
The Virgin Islands Civil Service Association (CSA) has outlined
its work plan for the year 2001, hammered out at a meeting of
its General Council last week. The meeting, the first for the
year, was held Wednesday January 10th at Maria's By The Sea.
"What we did was to review our two-year work programme.
Secondly, we restructured our Standing Committees to make them
a bit more effective," President Louis Potter told the Island
Sun. The General Council also established a process for the elections,
appointed Ms. Karen Maduro as Supervisor of the 2001 General
Elections, due in November and discussed putting together a team
to negotiate with government on salaries and the re-classification
study.
In addition, a Committee will focus on working with civil servants
to prepare them for the re-classification study. This study will
look at the various jobs and group them into classes, emphasizing
such things as responsibility and qualifications.
The CSA President said it is important that people understand
what the re-classification study is, what are the key elements
of it, what they need to emphasize if they are to get the most
from the study. "Once you move beyond that, things like
supervision, the kind of decisions you make, the management content,
the things you do to work with others, the kind of risks involved…if
emphasized properly, will present a person in a better light,
so we will be attempting to train civil servants to make sure
that they make the most of that study."
According to Mr. Potter, the greatest focus will continue to
be on building the Virgin Islands Civil Service Association and
getting members to join up. There is now a form where once a
civil servant signs up, they can also sign up to authorize the
Treasury Department to deduct the $20 annual fee deposited to
the CSA account. Membership is still around 400-500 and efforts
will continue through meetings in the various departments to
attract more members.
An interim committee revived the CSA in 1998. The other Executive
Members elected in November 1999 are Vice President Wendell Gaskin,
Secretary Grace-Ann Creque, Treasurer Kharid Fraser and Public
Relations Officer Bernard Skelton. The General Council is comprised
of the Executive Committee and a representative from each Department
of government.
The Association is also working with the other staff organizations
- nurses, police, teachers and prisons - to have inter-staff
associations. The plan is also to meet as a wider body to meet
once every four months to coordinate ideas and activities. The
CSA is also working with government on matters affecting civil
servants, such as the salary increase, the Alliances Committee
Report, the Public Service Commission and has also represented
civil servants on a number of grievance cases.
"All in all, we believe that we're doing all the right things
now to make the Civil Service Association a worthwhile and worthy
institution in the BVI…People are now aware of the Association
and things are happening (even though) not as fast as we would
like to."
Meantime, efforts are also continuing to source an office for
the Association.
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