DG reveals plans to cut required leave times
Deputy Governor Franz Manderson in the LA, 3 November 2017
(CNS): Deputy Governor Franz Manderson has said plans are underway to better deal with the situation of civil servants being placed for long periods of time on required leave or suspension on full pay while misconduct, corruption or criminal charges are dealt with. Speaking in the Legislative Assembly Friday as part of the budget debate, the head of the civil service said that over the last year the number of public servants on required leave while receiving full pay has fallen from 26 to 16. Explaining that this is not a static number, he said eleven people were fired and 14 were back on the job, but in future staff will be limited to the time they spend at home being paid by the public purse.
Manderson warned members of the LA that the number of civil servants on required leave could grow again as the service has zero tolerance for misconduct, corruption and criminality, and that bold steps will be taken when that arises. However, he said changes were afoot to limit the time period before an issue of misconduct is addressed, allowing a decision to be made. He said the goal was to streamline how people who have been suspended are dealt with.
The civil service boss also said that he planned to tackle the abuse of sick leave. He said that while the service would support people who were genuinely unwell, there were some staff abusing the system and he intended to close the loopholes and make life fairer for those civil servants carrying the burden.
Succession planning in the service was improving, the DG said, and many senior position were now being filled by Caymanians, and almost all of the senior posts in the service where people had been acting in post had been filled. He said the public sector could not longer be labeled “Hollywood” because of the number of “actors”.
Aware of the criticisms that the public service was not giving locals a chance, Manderson noted the number of young Caymanians heading towards the top of the service, and the training and career advancement going on in the public sector that would see government workers taking advantage of opportunities for advancement. He said more than 2,000 civil servants had taken part in online learning and many were attending courses at the Civil Service College and other leadership training courses.
Speaking about the vision for the future, Manderson said he was committed to ensuring a world class civil service that would offer opportunities for people to achieve their full potential.
See Manderson’s contribution to the budget debate on CIGTV below
Category: Government Finance, Policy, Politics
Why can’t these civil servants who are on paid administrative leave be given rudimentary tasks such as acting as greeters at the front desk of government buildings? They could easily report daily to the desk to direct people to the appropriate office of department they are looking for. This would force them to get up out of bed every day and go to a job rather than the beach.
11:04. You can’t be serious. Are you really suggesting that persons in court for serious criminal charges should be the face of the Government.
A Conch could have made this decision faster than a Caymanian.
I think it times for the Franz haters wake up and smell the roses.
I listen to his speech and the accomplishment over the past 18 mths is truly staggering. Imagine over 90% Of CIG accounts are unqualified. When he took over as DG. We were jumping up and down complaining that CIG was submitted their shabby accounts late.
His vision for our civil service is indeed bold and exactly what we deserve.
Remember DG if everyone likes you there is a good chance you are not doing your job.
Let’s all pray for 6:19.
You think he should get the credit for that? Try the previous AG, and the current, who is following up his good works.
No, I can assure you, the AGs are meaningless in this regard.
No 6:19. I doubt anyone wad put on required leave for 3 years for nothing. If that happened we would be reading about legal action being taken.
This is the first DG to really tackle this problem and civil servants who abuse their positions and commit crimes are being held to account. This is exactly what we expect of our DG and I am very proud of him.
First i heard of a change in legislation being referred to as blowing smoke up people’s ass I thought that only occurred when people promised and didn’t deliver. Clearly this DG has delivered.
Oh you are so wrong my dear at 9.23pm. Many are put on required leave for 3 years or more for no reason except spitefulness. The reason why you do not hear about legal action is because the DG and the wronged civil servant come to what they called it the other day “she has decided to take early retirement” and “she is leaving government with a clean record”. That my dear is how you handle wrongfully putting someone on required leave and not dealing with it in a timely fashion especially when you either have nothing on the civil servant or they have too much on you. You get egg on your face and have to pay them off. If they don’t do so then they will see legal action which you have seen in the past and the civil servant has won and they will continue to win and government will have to pay because of the incompetence of the senior government officers in not complying in a timely fashion with the Public Service Management Law and other Human Right and Constitutional Right abuses.
Fluff talk once again by the Puppet Master. Before 1 talks about cutting the salary of someone you all put on required leave, make sure you have something to charge them with. Corruption is rampant in the Civil Service (in Cayman on a whole, in every facet of our society) and many of the small fry are targeted with arrounious allegations which go on unfounded for months.
The former CIO was on required leave for over 3 yrs, no charges, full pay and then a joyful goodbye, marl rd talk is there was a settlement. The lady that was charged for so called selling Caymanian Status was on suspension for almost 7 yrs and acquitted, the famous DG had very good things to say at her trial, now she works in his portfolio or within a arms reach of it, doing nothing. The Acting CIO and Deputies are a joke at best running around micro-managing, trying to sound intelligent and don’t know the first thing about what they are doing.
Why aren’t we up in arms about the 23 kilos of Cocaine that went missing from the RCIP in 2K15, that hasn’t been resolved, or because it’s the police it’s ok? No arrest, suspects or even CCTV footage, convently they were not working. What of the Inspector that was arrested for suspicion of DUI and turned himself in some 2 days later? Nothing said on that also. It’s all a conspiracy and we just sit around and say nothing will our country errods from beneath our feet.
Customs is no exception either, they have had a number of persons suspended for long periods, some in the 4 yr vicinity also without resolution. That is to just name a few Govt Departments. It is everywhere!!! People wake up. One can go on and on about the number of things that happen in this country but who are you reporting to? The ACC?
Once a white man come here claiming to be a professional we roll out the Red carpet and pay them a truck load of money to do nothing but laugh at us and make us look bad. The Johnny Boy System is very ALIVE and well, here.!!
A “white man”? I think we have plenty black corrupt people here too. Stop with the nasty racism you ignoramus.
Oh 9:02pm, seems like that person hit a nerve with you. I think the person was making a generalization and made the reference to the white man as (an expatriate, foreigner or person of financial means) not making any racist remarks. The Cayman Islands are now represented with over 120 different nationalities and you have the gall to want to make it sound like this person is racist. Caymanians have welcomed persons here and still continue to do so, with open arms in my opinion. However what this person wrote struck a cord with me and is true, how is it that of all this person wrote the white man comment was the only thing you could pick up on. Why not add to or address some of the key points this person expressed. It was all true, but no one seems to want to acknowledge these points. Who is the ignoramus now, Turd. !!
1:52. You need help. Take your meds. This is a huge improvement.
All he is doing is blowing smoke up people’s ass for sure. He has allowed Chief Officers to have civil servants off on leave for long periods of time and no investigation is even happening. Why should it take 3+ years to deal with an internal disciplinary matter. They cannot imagine the negative impact this has on the employees mental health and well being especially when after all that time they then say that they have nothing on the employee and they are leaving on early retirement when they are not even eligible for retirement or being reinstated and declaring then that they are in good standing. There is good and bad in any organization but if someone is bad they can get rid of them if they follow the law. The trouble is the incompetence of senior government officers who cannot even follow the laws that they are given to work with. They are spiteful and vengeful and think nothing of destroying and demoralizing a civil servant that is not part of their clique or protected by their family being involved with the lodge.
6:19 Sit in your chair and be quiet.
9.24pm I prefer to stand tall and fight for the rights of those who are being abused by the government corruption.
I see no reason why investigations can’t be done and charges be laid if warranted, within 4-6 months. IMO, if you can’t accumulate enough evidence to even charge by 6 months why bother? Your case then appears weak and a complete waste of time and humiliation to the departments and employees.
What does this mean for those currently on leave and getting paid to do nothing? How much longer will they continue to be paid, and full salary at that for twiddling their thumbs all day? These things would never happen in the private sector.
I cannot think of one business in the private sector that has anything so stupid! If the “vacationer” is found guilty as charged, why doesn’t he have to return the undeserved salary?
Because he was innocent, and employed, until the court decision. You’re talking about breaking a contract otherwise.
Thank you DG. You have made a huge difference in the civil service.
Different and good are two separate things
Right. More smoke up people’s ass again.