An unnecessary conflict at the Registry

I do not know the details about the recent controversy at the Registry, but I must admit that I am saddened by the shocking headlines in the newspaper concerning the turn of events. Fellow Vincentians, we are all one people; why do we have to fight against one another? As I understand it, this is all about human relations. It is shocking news for eight or nine persons to be removed at the same time, (including a registrar non- professional).{{more}} The question that comes to mind is what could these persons have done? It is an unusual occurrence and that is why persons have to ask why. The former registrar departs, another takes over the helm and within a short space of time drastic measures are taken to transfer members of staff to different ministries. It is not the time to apportion blame, but sometimes certain situations could be avoided if handled with care. Did these members of staff misbehave because they were aggrieved by the departure of the past registrar or were they unable to adjust to the new? Whatever is the reason, there was no need for this mass transfer. We have to live with others peacefully and there are many ways for us to obtain this objective.

The transferred persons were members of the court office who worked in close proximity with the registrar. When persons work so closely together, there is always the need to respect one another so as to create a congenial environment where everyone is contented. The registrar has an obligation to set the pace and the staff has an obligation to cooperate. Everyone has a particular job to do and all that is needed is to do one’s job to the best of one’s ability and allow others to perform a good day’s work.

The court office is the nerve centre of the Registry, as it deals with the filing and processing of court cases. A civil case starts at the front desk of the court office, where documents are received, dated and stamped with the court office identification stamp. A file is opened and an identification number is given to each case. Copies of these documents are thereafter served on the defendant, who must acknowledge service by filing a document at the court office. The files are retrieved to place additional documents from time to time. Certain events are triggered at specific times according to the law and the file is retrieved when the matter goes before the master or the judge. Court clerks, who are trained to handle various aspects of the job, perform the bulk of work. In all jobs, efficiency counts and this comes with experience.

The transfer of staff would mean that several persons would have to be trained quickly to meet the demands of a busy court office. There can be no mistakes, as mistakes are costly. A misfiling of documents or the misplacement of a file could cause havoc.

The court office staff has an unenviable task to perform. Their performance is important to the legal system and we cannot do without them. It is therefore important to get to the heart of the matter. It is difficult to believe that eight members of staff would suddenly become unmanageable and have to be transferred.

Ada Johnson is a solicitor and barrister-at-law.
E-mail address is: exploringthelaw@yahoo.com