Dear Editor,
THE Minister of State has indicated that the Government’s policy is to ensure that officers do not accumulate annual leave and in turn request pay in lieu of such. He said that this is the practice that they have encountered since they came into office and this sounds quite reasonable.
But why then doesn’t this same law apply to the Town Clerk of Georgetown, Royston King, who has years of annual leave accumulated but who has opted not to take it. Indeed, there could be no better time than now, for him to be made to take his leave, as there has been a suggestion that an audit in some shape or form may soon be undertaken at the Council.
Additionally, with the Minister of Communities suspending the operation of the By-Laws, which governs the Parking Meter Project for three months to allow for the review of the agreement, again it would be a good idea to have the town clerk, a major player in the process, recuse himself, because of a potential conflict of interest or lack of impartiality.
There is an old saying: “What’s sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander.” Or is King above the law? One gets the feeling that he is indispensable, and should he take his leave then the entire City Council would collapse. Time off work is important for health and well-being, and it also helps increase productivity. Creating an environment that encourages taking accrued holiday leave offers the opportunity to improve the mood and productivity of workers. The human resource manager of the Council should be sanctioned for encouraging this malpractice and unprofessional conduct.
Regards
Mateo Phelephe