Caption: The Red House which hosts Trinidad and Tobago Parliament.
By Alicia Chamely
IN the world of human resources and employee relations there is a theory of effectiveness and productivity equating to rewards/incentives be it through pay increases, bonuses or promotions.
While this system has its flaws… especially when corporate greed is involved… it has been shown to increase employee motivation and organisational effectiveness (get ready we are going to use that word a lot today). You do a good job; you get rewarded for it. Do a basic, mediocre job… suck salt. Simple as that.
Since we last spoke much ado has been said about the prime minister accepting the Salaries Review Commission’s recommendation for salary increases for members of parliament and high-ranking public servants.
The main issue myself and many have is this: “Have these parliamentarians and other government officials proven their worth? Have their performances been assessed? Are they effective in their positions and have they increased or inspired productivity in their respective departments?”
If you look around at the state of the nation, one can argue that for some these increases were absolutely not deserved.
Let’s look at National Security: Minister Fitzgerald Hinds, Minister in the Ministry Keith Scotland and Commissioner of Police Erla Harewood-Christopher, 100% do not deserve any reward.
Crime is out of control, police stations are still recording reports with pen and paper, hundreds if not thousands of police vehicles are being left to rot while millions of taxpayer’s dollars are being used to purchase new ones, there are mass allegations of corruption within the police service, and public trust in our national security apparatus is at an all-time low.
But hey! The SRC says they need higher salaries, so let’s give them some more money for doing a piss poor job, for skirting the issues within the security services, for failing to implement any innovative initiatives to proactively reduce crime and for keeping our police in the stone age.
Whoever Erla is always praying too, is clearly answering because she got a $12,075 pay bump for doing jack all.
For all our ministers can we say their ministries’ works are effective? Let’s see… our roads are still falling apart, road repairs are being cheaply done and highly paid for, our public transportation is a mess ( I drove behind a PTSC bus the other day that was hitting one pothole away from disintegrating), our water delivery systems have not been updated or improved in last two decades, many of us are reliant on tanks, many of us get no water at all to our homes, our schools are falling apart, our social services are missing the mark, our court system is clogged and slowed due to ancient bureaucracy, all of our government services are slow as hell and antiquated, and there are sprinkles of corruption everywhere.
While some improvements have been made, it hasn’t been enough to justify hefty increase in pay packages… in my opinion.
The opposition doesn’t deserve an increase. I cannot think of one progressive thing they have done in the last ten years. In fact, the only thing I can commend the Leader of the Opposition Kamla Persad-Bissessar on is pushing the government to address the costs of the new airport in Tobago… which I am sure was not done out of public interest but rather to pelt some kerosene in the fire and create public suspicion of corruption.
Let me make it clear, I believe that in both the public and private sectors salaries should be regularly reviewed to reflect the cost of living.
I have a problem with this system we have of people getting increases and promotions without any assessment of productivity. What this does is encourage mediocracy. In the wider public service there are some amazing, hard-working employees, but when they see their bosses getting big salary increases without any evidence of them being effective at their jobs, it is demoralizing. And this demoralization spreads.
Imagine if our parliamentarians, mayors, heads of regional corporations, permanent secretaries and other high-ranking officials were paid on a scale of effectiveness. I guarantee you our country would be better.
Erla and Hinds would be out there fighting crime and building DNA data bases, there would be no faulty fire engine doors. Our roads would be smooth. Contractors would only be paid if the work was up to mark. Flooding wouldn’t happen. Our taps would be full. Our children would have access to the best of the best in education. Our government services would be using cutting-edge technology. We would be paradise.
Not Deserving of Salary Increases
Caption: The Red House which hosts Trinidad and Tobago Parliament.
IN the world of human resources and employee relations there is a theory of effectiveness and productivity equating to rewards/incentives be it through pay increases, bonuses or promotions.
While this system has its flaws… especially when corporate greed is involved… it has been shown to increase employee motivation and organisational effectiveness (get ready we are going to use that word a lot today). You do a good job; you get rewarded for it. Do a basic, mediocre job… suck salt. Simple as that.
Since we last spoke much ado has been said about the prime minister accepting the Salaries Review Commission’s recommendation for salary increases for members of parliament and high-ranking public servants.
The main issue myself and many have is this: “Have these parliamentarians and other government officials proven their worth? Have their performances been assessed? Are they effective in their positions and have they increased or inspired productivity in their respective departments?”
If you look around at the state of the nation, one can argue that for some these increases were absolutely not deserved.
Let’s look at National Security: Minister Fitzgerald Hinds, Minister in the Ministry Keith Scotland and Commissioner of Police Erla Harewood-Christopher, 100% do not deserve any reward.
Crime is out of control, police stations are still recording reports with pen and paper, hundreds if not thousands of police vehicles are being left to rot while millions of taxpayer’s dollars are being used to purchase new ones, there are mass allegations of corruption within the police service, and public trust in our national security apparatus is at an all-time low.
But hey! The SRC says they need higher salaries, so let’s give them some more money for doing a piss poor job, for skirting the issues within the security services, for failing to implement any innovative initiatives to proactively reduce crime and for keeping our police in the stone age.
Whoever Erla is always praying too, is clearly answering because she got a $12,075 pay bump for doing jack all.
For all our ministers can we say their ministries’ works are effective? Let’s see… our roads are still falling apart, road repairs are being cheaply done and highly paid for, our public transportation is a mess ( I drove behind a PTSC bus the other day that was hitting one pothole away from disintegrating), our water delivery systems have not been updated or improved in last two decades, many of us are reliant on tanks, many of us get no water at all to our homes, our schools are falling apart, our social services are missing the mark, our court system is clogged and slowed due to ancient bureaucracy, all of our government services are slow as hell and antiquated, and there are sprinkles of corruption everywhere.
While some improvements have been made, it hasn’t been enough to justify hefty increase in pay packages… in my opinion.
The opposition doesn’t deserve an increase. I cannot think of one progressive thing they have done in the last ten years. In fact, the only thing I can commend the Leader of the Opposition Kamla Persad-Bissessar on is pushing the government to address the costs of the new airport in Tobago… which I am sure was not done out of public interest but rather to pelt some kerosene in the fire and create public suspicion of corruption.
Let me make it clear, I believe that in both the public and private sectors salaries should be regularly reviewed to reflect the cost of living.
I have a problem with this system we have of people getting increases and promotions without any assessment of productivity. What this does is encourage mediocracy. In the wider public service there are some amazing, hard-working employees, but when they see their bosses getting big salary increases without any evidence of them being effective at their jobs, it is demoralizing. And this demoralization spreads.
Imagine if our parliamentarians, mayors, heads of regional corporations, permanent secretaries and other high-ranking officials were paid on a scale of effectiveness. I guarantee you our country would be better.
Erla and Hinds would be out there fighting crime and building DNA data bases, there would be no faulty fire engine doors. Our roads would be smooth. Contractors would only be paid if the work was up to mark. Flooding wouldn’t happen. Our taps would be full. Our children would have access to the best of the best in education. Our government services would be using cutting-edge technology. We would be paradise.