Dear Editor,
Over the last few days, the Public Relations division of the council has been bombarded with questions and comments from members of the public about an advertisement in the media for suitably qualified persons to fill certain vacancies at the Mayor and City Council. As a result, we believe that it is important that we seek to explain to the public the procedure used by successive councils to secure the appropriate human resources for the Georgetown municipality.
Council at its duly constituted Statutory Meeting held on January 29, 2013, instructed the administration to advertise all existing vacancies within the Georgetown municipality. As a result, the Public Relations section of the council proceeded to carry out the wishes of the council and advertised four senior positions, namely, Town Clerk, City Engineer, City Treasurer and Solid Waste Management Director. In another few weeks, council hopes to advertise more vacancies. Almost all departments are called upon to perform their official assignments below actual staff strength. It is affecting the way we function and the quality of service we deliver to the citizens of Georgetown.
For example, we are short on nurses and environmental health officers. Clearly, this is affecting our service in the area of public and environmental health. We are short of staff for the constabulary. Again, it limits our ability to enforce compliance with the city by-laws. The consequences are very visible in different sections of the capital.
It has always been the practice of the Mayor and City Council to advertise its vacancies whenever the need arises, hence, the instruction by the council to advertise. We wish to make two points here:
First, according to the Municipal and District Councils Act, Chapter 28: 01, the Mayor and City Council is established as one corporate body. Council has certain inherent powers to carry out its functions and responsibilities as prescribed by law and in keeping with its mandate to provide municipal services to the citizens of Georgetown. It takes decisions in the context of an awareness of the laws which have been enacted, and those decisions are binding on all officers of the council, who are obliged to comply with and work to encourage compliance with its decisions. No one has the authority, to rescind or overturn a decision of the council made in accordance with the law. Indeed, the council itself must obtain the consent of a two-thirds majority of councillors in office or wait until six months have elapsed to rescind a decision. Therefore, the decision of the council to advertise its vacancies was right and proper. This leads to the second and wider area of concern − the needs of the organisation.
Since the vacancies exist within the municipality, the council must know what it is looking for in terms of the appropriate qualifications, competencies and skills.
Further, advertising, recruiting and interviewing are influenced by the structures of organizations − the formal systems that control, coordinate and motivate employees so that they work together to achieve organizational goals. At the Mayor and City Council, all functions relating to human resources are managed by the council through its Personnel and Training Committee. The Terms of Reference of the committee include monitoring the implementation of the selection and recruitment system to ensure consistency in the application of the agreed procedures and criteria; developing an appreciation of the performance appraisal systems to be instituted, and monitoring, evaluating and reporting on their efficiency; receiving and reviewing the monthly report on vacancies, appointments, transfers, promotions and separations generally; ensuring agreed policy on the employment of superannuated employees is consistently observed; monitoring the application of the disciplinary procedure to be instituted; receiving and reviewing monthly reports on absenteeism, with particular attention to sick leave and reviewing recommendations for training and other development activities for staff; ensuring that these are reconciled with recommendations emanating from Performance Appraisal Reports and generally serving as a Review Committee in accordance with procedures laid down in the Human Resource Manual. Under its TOR the committee examines and short-lists applicants for interviewing. It interviews applicants and makes recommendations to the council on the filling of vacancies. Council can either approve or disapprove the committee’s recommendations. Once a recommendation for appointment, promotion or transfer is approved by the council, the personnel officer proceeds to do the appropriate letters to those involved. There are some appointments that are subject to the approval of the Local Government Commission. However, in the absence of a Local Government Commission, the Minister of Local Government has the power to approve such appointments. This does not derogate from council’s responsibility to activate its systems in the employment of its officers.
Yours faithfully
Royston King
Public Relations Officer
Mayor and City Council
