Minister cut funds for fire chief’s training bonus
(CNS): Home Affairs Minister Bernie Bush has told CNS that when he took up office, he was surprised to learn that the current chief fire officer had been paid extra cash each month to train Caymanians. Bush said he had done what he could within the law to ensure the funding was cut off.
While ministers have no say in human resource issues relating to the civil service, he said, they control the purse strings and he used that power to stop what he saw as an “unacceptable bonus” being paid to Chief Fire Officer Paul Walker for what was already part of his job.
The minister said that he had a number of concerns about the management of the fire service in recent years but he was not able to intervene because of the separation of responsibilities, so he was doing what he could on the policy and funding side.
Bush said he has also directed the ministry to engage a local consultant to conduct an anonymous employee engagement and assessment survey across the service to help him understand the issues.
“I know there is a clear division between the administrative and executive arms of government,” Bush said when he spoke to CNS about his concerns relating to the current CFO and the slow movement towards getting a local at the helm of the Cayman Islands Fire Service.
“But when it comes to the budget, it’s the Parliament that has to vote on spending the public’s money,” he said, adding that too much public money was being wasted and much of it related to the fire chief.
Bush revealed that Walker had been receiving around $1,000 extra per month to mentor the three deputies so that one of them would replace him when his contract ended. But despite that additional money, none of them made it through the recruitment process.
He also said that there were problems relating to the most recent recruits’ training class for this year, which had to be stopped and was being done over. Bush said he was unable to discuss the details because of his position as a minister but that it involved a serious conflict of interest. “This has also cost us time and money,” he noted.
CNS has contacted Acting Chief Officer Michael Ebanks about this situation and we are awaiting a response.
Bush said that he had also refused to sign off on funding for a UK trip for Walker to go to the UK with CFO Designate Randy Rankin because he did not see the justification. “I refused,” Bush said, adding he felt it was a waste of money and he didn’t see the need for a costly “hand-holding exercise”.
However, Walker handed in his resignation several months ahead of his planned departure in September after Bush refused to sign off on the funding for his trip to the UK. Bush believes the administrative arm of his ministry should have accepted that resignation, but instead, a decision was made “somewhere above my pay grade” to allow Walker to go to the UK anyway and keep his job, the minister said.
Bush made it clear that the allegations that he has had too much personal interest in the staffing issues at the fire service and who should be the new fire chief were not true. His only goal, he said, was to ensure that CIFS was headed by a Caymanian and that there are no more excuses as to why that can’t happen.
“The service has not been well led for many years and too many things have happened that have delayed the development of local officers as a result,” Bush maintained. He said he hoped that things will change for the better when the designate CFO takes over and puts the interests and development of Caymanian officers’ careers front and centre.
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Category: Government Administration, Jobs, Local News, Politics
Poor Bernie and his antics against foreign leaders/managers…the things they do for political gain.
A contract laid is a contract paid. CFO still going to get that money, Bernie is just forcing something else to get cut by doing this since the money to pay Mr Walker will have to come from elsewhere in the Fire Service. Pure theatre.
Recall the last time a high level position was put on public blast and made that person continuing untenable. Then the CIG has to pay out their contract term while also needing to hire someone new, effectively paying twice. Fiscal prudence, indeed!
Hush nah man
Minister Bush can spins this all he wants but we all know what his political game is The really sad part it’s Caymanians fighting Caymanians and had his political Scooby doo been given the post there would be no problem of “wasting money” I can assure you. The problem with this whole situation is that a proper recruitment process was carried out and followed and the person who was given the CFO was picked because he was the best candidate and most capable for the job hands down and the panel and chief officer Ebanks should be proud of their choice.This is a much needed change from the old hand me down leadership process we still suffer with today,But alas these political minions and their ghastly deeds and unlawful conduct and their very troubling past and lodge membership who expect promotion and upper mobility no matter how incompetent or inept and corrupt they are. We see it everyday in our civil service and various authorities who waste our money on lavish settings and the enrichment of family and friends and themselves. yes Minister Bush and friends we know you are so concerned about fiscal spending that is why we are buying a certain property on North Church Street for 6.75 million that the previous owner paid 1.8 million. Where is the great DG in this situation his silence and absence is duly noted as his lack guidance and advice to the sports minister in such matters involving the civil service. The same sports ministry that employs his son!
Lodge tentacles are all over.
Lodge is everywhere. Wayne is Mason. Chris is Mechanic. All Lodge brethren.
Alden and Moses in Lodge too.
Don’t forget no common sense Stran he is lodge too
8;43 pm and Stran father is Lodge man too, he is just a yes, yes man. Both on the Port Authority Board. what do people think of that ?.
Roy or Joey? Doubt Seymour is wanted by Lodge.
I am one for proper fiscal management. However, as I see it here, it’s the “pot calling the kettle black”.
I wish these same politrickers don’t vote ever again to give themselves a heafty raise. Ever again!!
That’s where a lot of the public purse is wasted. The majority of our elected members, government after government, are paid way too much for the little work they do accomplish during their tenure.
Members of Parliament, I bet you all will never vote on, setting in law, a cap on your salaries and all the other perks that you all add on to it time after time.
I betcha you all will never agree on that one!
We must remember, with the last administration, for three years, Bernie was being paid a handsome allowance for the “Deputy Speaker” of the house. When the time came for him to fulfill his responsibility, he found a lousy excuse and stepped down from the position. At least the Chief Fire Officer fulfilled his duties of mentoring and developing, not only the potentials for the Designate CFO, but the entire Fire Service staff.
Bernie stepped down for good reason. Surely you cannot be suggesting that Barbara earned her keep as Deputy Speaker, are you?
Well it’s about time MP’s start taking interest in these atrocities in the Civil Service. It is amazing how these things all allowed to continue and all MP’s say is that they can’t do anything about it..
Hate to say it but I wish more had the same balls as Bernie to start shaking them up more.
You will notice that the fire officer having his benefits reduced, is not a Caymanian, and he does not have a vote.
Pure grandstanding for his Caymanian audience.
Well done Bernie 👏👏we have many Caymanian in the CS, who is and has training personnel (outside of their scope of responsibility) and has not received 1c, or a senior Civil Servant who worked 33-45 years hard labor, paved the roads for today but was not given not even a thank you card at the end of their time from the Department, the DG or the Elected Government, but then again they are Caymanians.
True. Civil servants are treated like c@#%.
Unless you are one of the boot lickers.
I would have to agree with Bernie here. This is a bad precedent our government has implementing. Does that mean that Caymanians can get paid if they train a work permit holder?
Bernie Bush did the right thing. Finally somebody stood up against the nonsense. Paying extra to a WP holder or contracted work to train Caymanians which forms part of the job and employment contract is insane and a bad precedent to be set. CIG always giving preferential treatment to non-Caymanian staff in senior positions, plus housing allowance, travel allowances, school fees paid for children, call out allowances and anything else yet look at the results they never go back home and never train Caymanians.
The person who coined the phrase ” ignorant is bliss” had no clue what was waiting up ahead for us. I believe it is only normal best practice for a person being appointed to a position that would involve discussions and interacting with “overseas” persons entities, namely the United Kingdom in this case, to be accompanied by the retiring person who is familiar with these persons and entities on his familiarization visit. Obviously Bernie would prefer if he is sent off on his own to roam around England’s fire departments on his own. I guess this is what happens when clueless and sub par persons are being elected and given these ministries. Apparently it is not about management, more like wielding ignorance and power. I guess he is patting his self on the back. Ignorance is still alive and thriving!
CNS: Thomas Gray – final stanza of “Ode on a Distant Prospect of Eton College”
To each his suff’rings: all are men,
Condemn’d alike to groan,
The tender for another’s pain;
Th’ unfeeling for his own.
Yet ah! why should they know their fate?
Since sorrow never comes too late,
And happiness too swiftly flies.
Thought would destroy their paradise.
No more; where ignorance is bliss,
‘Tis folly to be wise.
Thank you Wendy. A beautiful poem- I hadn’t read this before.
CNS (Nicky): You’re welcome! Here’s the whole thing.
It is.
Did Bernie take the time to determine what the CFO job description entailed prior to taking away his allowance … or did he jump the cannon like he did with trying to slip his (selected )comrade through the port….enquiring minds want to know.
Thinks he is still operating his bakery. Lol
05 @ 9:05 pm – How successful was that?
More so than his floating Jiffy Lube
🤣🤣😂😂
Premier still operating in Walkers-style managing partner.
Do this inexperienced minister realize what spills out of his mouth…in one sentence he admits that “he have no say in human resource issues relating to the civil service” and another sentence he said “he has also directed the ministry to engage a local consultant to conduct an anonymous employee engagement and assessment survey across the service”
His only goal, he said, was to ensure that CIFS was headed by a Caymanian and that there are no more excuses as to why that can’t happen. Mr. Walker did his job and selected someone as the Chief fire Officer designate a few months ago. Where is this guy living.
What bothers me most, is that i supported this government with a hope of change….however, it same’s that they have caused more havoc in the past 11 months than the past government did in four years. Come 2025.
You mean that the “past government did in EIGHT years”.
Bernie Bush says “when it comes to the Budget it’s Parliament that has the vote on spending the public’s money”. Well, what irony!, it was Mr Bush and his fellow lightweight M.P’s whose first course of action in office, was to vote themselves a salary increase when they were already earning far more than their UK counterparts who each have infinitely more constituents.
@6:09pm You still don’t get it that it was your party the PPM that put salary increase in place and that it had been in place for months before the PACT Government ever to came in to being..
I don’ understand why since that has been explained by both Governments over and over that some people refuse to accept fact over conspiracy theories..
The Hansards show who ultimately approved it.
Correct. Hansards show what was said by MPs and who voted for or against. This can be searched online.
Hansards for our Parliament can be accessed at the link below:
http://www.legislativeassembly.ky/portal/page/portal/lglhome/business/publications
10.46pm They had the option to decline the increase having just been voted into salaries far higher than they ever earned – yet greed won out.
No one argues about the salary certain MPs, who competently and honesty carry out their functions.
For example, Marco Archer, who is a former Minister of Finance, certainly earned his paycheck.
The argument occurs, in particular, where MPs (especially who are Ministers) do not do their jobs.
Voters want value for money by MPs and Ministers demonstrating added value to the Cayman Islands, rather than feeling that MPs were a waste of time, effort and money.
Accurate statement.
Hope your picking up, what I’m putting down.
Winston Connolly earned every dime of his paycheck, just like Marco Archer.
Both gentlemen are Caymanian patriots and National heroes, at least, as far as I am concerned.
I see you there, Mr. B. 🙏🏻🇰🇾
I may be wrong but isn’t it normal practice in well- managed fire departments to have a trainer or recruit a company with the expertise to train your staff on an ongoing basis? Should we really expect the Fire Chief to also do training? Perhaps that is the main reason why there never seems to be anyone to take up the position once the Chief leaves. Should’nt the last 3-6 months be sufficient to hand over duties rather than training?
@5:17pm, I believe the whole premise behind bringing in this Fire Chief was that he would be doing the training as part of his job. He accepted this position knowing that was part of his job..
OK.
Now can he and the rest of the top elected and unelected members of government now please give back the massive pay packet increase they gave themselves/accepted around the recent election time?
Really / Shame!
So let me get this straight. The current head has trained 3 deputies, neither of whom made it to the head to get the top job. I am assuming that all 3 are Caymanians. The Minister keeps insisting that he isn’t interfering but at every turn he has his hands in the pie. And then they wonder why the Fire service is in the state that it is in. Phewt
Very good Hon Bernie, good to see some one is looking out for how the tax payers money are spent. Good job , please keep it up and thanks.
05 @ 4:07 pm – Bernie “looking out for tax payers money”? Check that recent expensive, but unnecessary project just completed in his constituency.
You mean the new civic centre??
I applaud each and every one in Government being fiscally responsibie with our money, however I am here wondering how much we could have saved if we didn’t have to pay his parliamentary salary for so many years. I really don’t think we got good for money spent on him. I cannot recall him bringing a motion on any subject and when he chose to debate couldn’t make sense of it.
There is an accountability problem in the Cayman Islands.
As voters we want to hold our political representatives accountable for the failures of the government. However, our representatives keep saying that they can’t do anything about the failures of the government and that the changes that need to be made are out of their control and above their pay grade.
Who then is responsible and who can the voters of the Cayman Islands hold accountable for the clear and evident failures and incompetence?
MPs are accountable to Caymanian voters, who elect them into Parliament, as their constituency representative and to the entire Cayman Islands.
Cabinet members have collective ministerial responsibility, and are accountable to Parliament.
So no one is responsible?
If MPs (especially Ministers) don’t do their job adequately, Caymanian voters are responsible for voting another better representative to do so.
There is accountability. What has occurred is that, instead of usually facing up to accountability obligations, the game of play hot potato with serious issues gets played — thereby avoiding accountability— and the cycle repeats, it seems, perpetually.
Facts!
Don’t make Bernie fool us…he is only trying to switch stories with the back door deal involving the port director. ( cheeky little fella)
I knew it was a mistake to place Bernie with the responsibility of Home affairs. Good leaders have given up on organizations because of him and his foolishness’. Put him in charge of the school meals initiative. (Maybe he can bake them fresh bread)
Well done Mr. B! Proud of you.
Well done Bernie!!!! Some get the lions share and royal treatment whilst mostly us poor Caymanians just makes ends meet! This is true for public and private sector. Even worst than this, We have Caymanians that are training persons (on work permits) free of cost, for them to take the top jobs and get more benefits (Better pay, living allowances etc).
Please post such jobs here. I hardly believe anything you’ve written.
fire service like everthing else in cig cvil service, is a rats nest of mismanagement and incompetence.
just read any independent report on its performance.
Which country do the leaders hail from?!
Well done Bernie. Every skilled employee in the private sector is effectively obliged to train Caymanians as part of their job, if they have a work permit. There is nothing wrong with this. Working here is more often a privilege than a right. The Civil Service has lost the plot. Please make them operate under the same rules imposed on everyone else. They are out of control.
It would be interesting to see the private sector compliance rate with this training requirement. It seems to be lip service without substance
The lack of consistent enforcement is but one area of the corruption that appears to pervade almost every aspect of life in Cayman. #Leggewasright.
It’s probably less than 10% if we’re being honest.
Stupid people voting, big time problem
8;49 pm, you shot it down, so that tell all of the rest of us your one of those voters