Minister of the Public Service St. Clair Leacock has expressed confidence that public servants still smarting over the loss of the Unity Labour Party (ULP) at the Nov. 27 general election will act rationally and perform their duties.
He expressed the view on Boom FM on Monday, even as he said some public servants were trying to frustrate the New Democratic Party government, seven weeks into its five-year term.
The Central Kingstown MP, who is also the deputy prime minister, said he was going to accompany four people dismissed under the ULP’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate in November 2021, who were facing challenges as they attempted to resume duty under the NDP’s policy.
“When an administration been in office for as long as 25 years, one of the things that happens is that the culture of the country changes,” Leacock said, referring to the ULP’s quarter-century stint in office.
“And you’re going to change the culture overnight or by a magic wand? It takes time to do that.”
Leacock gave his “simple prediction” on a matter that “a lot of people are antsy about.
“All these people who are in closets and other places, trying to undo the New Democratic Party’s administration or to frustrate them:
“Oftentimes, people are very rational people, and a lot of people who are in the public service and in positions of authority, might have felt that for years they will not see a different administration coming to being once that leader was in place,” he said, referring to former prime minister, now Opposition Leader, Ralph Gonsalves.
“Now that the thing has moved, the dirt has moved under their feet, many of them will change,” he said.
Leacock said these public sector workers “will come to rational conclusions that this administration will be there and there for a long time, and it makes no economic, financial or social sense, holding on to something that will not happen”.
He, however, said this is one of the approaches that the NDP administration will take, adding:
“… when they see you perform professionally, competently and efficiently, then their conscience will speak, and many will also come on board.”
He said that because the NDP government is going to be “very efficacious”, the public sector workers who are attempting to frustrate the government “will have no choice but to fall in line, because they will stand out as sore participants”.
The public service minister noted people’s right to their political beliefs.
“Everybody has a right to a political belief, and you can’t run an administration where everybody who are in the system must be of your mind and your persuasion,” Leacock said.
He agreed that it becomes “bad” when people of a different persuasion become bad actors and try to undermine.
“… you deal with that or, alternatively, state upfront, because some of them are doing that.”
He said that after the radio interview, he was going to a government institution where workers dismissed under the vaccine mandate had gone on three or so occasions and had not been allowed to resume their duties, as the government policy allows.
“… because, clearly, the people who are that entity are bigger than the government,” Leacock said. “So my purpose for going there with these three or four individuals, as I’ve done one or two other places, is to let them know how school is keeping.
“… So, if it requires me, as the minister of the public service and the deputy prime minister, to accompany affected vaccine mandate individuals to a workplace to have them restored to their benefits, which is the government’s policy, then I’ll so do.
“But I’m not going to do that every Monday morning, because when that message, I’m satisfied, the message has been properly sent, and you continue to not to comply, then we will take a course of action.”
Leacock said Attorney General Louise Mitchell has detailed a process and made it available to the public service for implementing the policy.
He said these public servants are “frustrating” the government.
“I wouldn’t use the word undermine. I’ll make a slight distinction between ‘undermine’ and ‘frustrating’. Because ultimately, how long can they do that for?” Leacock said.
He noted that the government has set a Jan. 31 deadline for affected workers wanting to return to work to do so.
“… and if at the end of January things are not in place, they will certainly report that I went to Bing and he refused to allow me to return to work.”
He said the public servant who did not allow the worker to return to work would then have to account for their actions.
“Now, any prudent government will take a course of action against you, Bing, for not complying with the government policy.
“Because it is not just an exercise in facilitating people to be returned. It’s a very bold initiative, because you have to know who has returned, what levels are the return, because you have to do the arithmetic. You have to do the maths because this is the level of recompense you have to find over the next time frame to pay these people.”
The deputy PM said there is a lot of dynamics involved in implementing the policy.
“So those who are listening to this radio programme and who are not following it (the policy), understand they’re making life difficult, not just for the administration, but for the finance people as well, in getting this exercise sorted out.”
Leacock also noted that there is a role for the chief personnel officer. “It has to do with vacancies and opportunities and so forth.”
He said some places have implemented the policy pretty well.
“The police force, for example, has almost without murmur allowed people to go back to their jobs. … I think the police force has been the best place in returning people to their jobs,” Leacock said.
We voted for change not more of the same. The public servants who have been holding back the progress of the country in cahoots with the ULP must be removed. We cannot afford to have them carry on business as usual. Many NDP supporters were sidelined for years and now it’s time they were gainfully employed after 25 years of struggle..