Government payroll ballooned by 10 m in the five months before election

Thu, Jun 8th 2017, 12:38 PM

Minister of State for Public Service and National Insurance Brensil Rolle revealed today that the public service grew by 6,500 people over the last five years, and the government's payroll ballooned by $10 million in the last five months of the Christie administration's term.

Rolle, who made those revelations during his contribution to the budget debate in the House of Assembly, said Opposition Leader Philip Brave Davis will have to explain those hirings to the Bahamian people.

"The public service, in salaries alone, ballooned by $10 million between December of 2016 and May of this year," Rolle said. "[That's] $10 million in new employment... Indeed the public service has ballooned by 6,500 new employees during the watch of the previous administration.

"So, Mr. Speaker, I say to the member for Cat Island (Davis), you will have many opportunities to talk about contracts.

"You will have many opportunities to say to us, why, under your administration, Mr. Speaker, a person who was hired as a security (officer), I'm told his responsibility was to watch the police station. It's just an amazing thing."

Rolle said the established processes for hiring new people, which included proving to the Ministry of Public Service that there is sufficient money to cover salaries, was "thrown out the window" under the former government.

"Every minister hired whomever they wished, at whatever rank they wished," he continued.

"Many of whom did not even come to the public service."

The minister said when he inquired how many of the new employees were paid, he was informed that the Ministry of Finance did not know that the people existed in many cases.

"And so, Mr. Speaker, over the next few weeks, we will have to... deal with these matters," he said.

Suggesting that some people will have to be terminated, Rolle added that he doesn't want members of the opposition to call it victimization.

"While this government is truly committed to the Bahamian people, we are fully aware that there are some burdens we can't carry at the public's expense," Rolle said.

Another major issue in the public service, Rolle said, is the number of pensioners who have been reengaged by the former government.

"We have been saddled with the engagement and re-engagement of too many pensioners, with skills that are already resident in the public service," he said.

"And they are given salaries that are substantially higher than that of members in the public service.

"...This government will engage in an exercise that will somehow deal with these issues."

Just as concerning, is the number of people engaged in the public service who do not have skills, Rolle said.

"This must be stopped... The [people] elected us to do better and we will."

Click here to read more at The Nassau Guardian

 Sponsored Ads