Time for us to get gratuity after 10 years

10.AUG.07

Editor: The outdated civil service rules and orders which state that a civil servant has to work for 33 and 1/3 years before he/she can receive gratuity is totally out of sync with modern day realities, and since the gov’t is shedding all colonial hindrances in favour of a modern post colonial economy, why should we be taking along such unnecessary baggage?{{more}}

The irony and paradox of this situation is that police officers can receive gratuity after only 10 years of service, or 20 if they so opt. So what about teachers, nurses and by extension all civil servants, what makes them different to police? We all have to face Vinlec, CWSA, and the supermarkets every month, so why can police receive gratuity after 10 years and all others have to slave for a 1/3 of a century before receiving a reward for the services rendered?

The time is now ripe to address this issue once and for all. Politicians receive the same after two terms in office, so what happen to us who put the politicians there. An agreement MUST be arrived at and a gratuity package arranged right across the board, that all civil servants receive gratuity after 10 years and anytime thereafter, and which will be commensurate with the type of job and the years of service after ten years. Other Unions representing the private sector should also seek similar agreements for their workers, many who slave tirelessly to make the firm with whom they work profitable.

You see, a career civil servant who knows that she/he has to slave for 33 1/3 years before receiving gratuity does not show any appreciable commitment to duty and as a result stifles productivity. If we want a vibrant civil service we need to give gov’t workers the impetus to produce and to provide a service that the gov’t can be proud of. Don’t we all notice that lackadaisical and lethargic attitude by some employees whenever we visit a gov’t office!

Since this is a new millennium and seeing that we are moving towards a modern post colonial economy, this issue ought to be addressed with alacrity and be made retroactive to the year 2000. We want gratuity too, but not after 33 and a third of our most productive years.

Enough said, I hope both the Government and Unions will take these cues. I now eagerly await the good news!

Donald De Riggs