Jobs not threatened says NCB chairman

National Commercial Bank (NCB) employees’ jobs are not up for take and should not feel threatened by the bank’s assistance from Trinidad and Tobago.

This is the assurance coming from NCB Chairman Desmond Morgan this week. {{more}}

Morgan, in an exclusive with SEARCHLIGHT, said he met “some weeks ago” with the bank’s top management staff and informed them of the strategic direction the bank would be embarking on starting January 3.

He said the senior staff was told that a new manager would be coming in and his stint would last for three months.

This latest project has seen then incumbent manager Cooper Williams going home while Mario Young from First Citizen’s Bank of Trinidad and Tobago coming in.

With regard to Williams, Morgan said NCB had brought him out of retirement.

“I think he is fully cooperative and we are really grateful for the assistance he has given us,” Morgan stated.

Morgan disclosed that Williams was on a one-year contract and thereafter month by month. He said Williams was literally holding on until Young and his team, who are to help provide “institutional strengthening”, come from Trinidad.

Morgan said the senior staff was also told why the bank was taking such a course of action. Senior staff were also informed of the three NCB graduates who were nominated to go through a one year intensive management training programme at First Citizen’s Bank.

He said they were also told of internal promotion and shifting around.

To what extent this information would have been communicated right down to the ground floor, Morgan said, he was not sure.

The bank chairman said the bank is taking a new approach where it is moving to reward its staff on a performance-based evaluation. He said any upward mobility in the bank would be based strictly on performance.

New manager Mario Young said since arriving here the staff has warmed to him. He added that he has had discussions with the managers and they are aware that he is there to help.

“I am not here to take anybody’s position or to retard the process,” said Young who is the corporate manager in charge of Retail Banking at the three larger branches of First Citizen’s Bank in Trinidad and Tobago. He is also responsible for Systems and Procedures Departments at First Caribbean Bank where he started his career as a teller in 1969.

Two other banking officials from First Citizen’s Bank will join Young here.

“One of the officials will be dealing with credit, while the other will handle operations and audit,” said Young.

“The idea is to bring best practice and implement it up here,” said Young.

“I guess I would have done a good job if I could set a trend of certain principles and be able to do some mindset changes in the staff and identify certain functions that ought to be done in a different way,” Young explained.

He said he represents First Citizen’s Bank, hence that institution’s reputation lies on his shoulder.

Young, who he is married and is the father of four sons, said he came to St. Vincent and the Grenadines in August when First Citizen was looking at NCB and was told he might be needed here. So it was no surprise when he was officially informed six weeks ago that he would be sent here on a three-month stint.

Young is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Bankers, and a Fellow of the Institute of Banking ad Finance of Trinidad and Tobago.