DESPITE complaints about a lack of jobs around the country, the Regional Executive Officer (REO) of Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam), Rupert Hopkinson, is pleading with the Ministry of the Presidency, which is in charge of the public service, to have a number of vacancies filled.In a letter which was seen by the Guyana Chronicle and addressed to the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of the Presidency, Reginald Brotherson, Hopkinson stated that, “it is becoming increasingly challenging to execute our work programmes in Region Two.”
This situation, Hopkinson disclosed, is due largely to the number of vacancies for key positions such as, Deputy Regional Executive Officer, Engineers, Regional Health Officer and several others in the region. Additionally, it was outlined that development has been affected by poor work performance, particularly in the Administration, Finance, Agriculture and Public Works programmes.
“While this could be attributed to the workload in the various areas and poor supervision, it can be said that it is also due to the deliberate efforts to slow down production and stagnate development in the region,” lamented the region’s REO. One particular area of underperformance he noted is the Drainage and Irrigation department, specifically trench-cleaning, he added, while emphasising, “farmers continue to complain that they suffer from poor drainage because of drainage trenches not being properly cleaned.”
“As Regional Executive Officer, I have lost confidence in senior workers in the region. It is my firm belief that unless we fill existing vacancies immediately, we will continue to witness daunting challenges in Region Two, despite the best efforts of dedicated staff,” highlighted Hopkinson’s letter. Hence, he proposed the urgent employment of persons, most of whom have more than 25 years of relevant experience, having served in various capacities in Region Two and who were recently called upon to assist in bringing stability to our programmes. Also, it was indicated that those employed be given one- year contracts or month-to-month attachments, until the situation in the region returns to normalcy.
Among the vacancies to be filled are: Administrative Officer, Mechanical Superintendent, Caretaker, Librarian, Heavy-Duty Vehicle Driver, Farmhands, Typist Clerks, Checker, Junior Departmental Sister, Pump Operator, Accounts Clerk II, Cleaner, Handyman, Porter, Ambulance Driver, Vehicle Driver, Chef and a Librarian.