Dear Editor,

FINALLY, a long-existing, archaic, unfair, non-existent and irrational rule which laid down that newly-employed public servants had to work for three months before receiving their salaries, has been discontinued.

But I am not surprised at the minister’s statement that there is no trace as to its origin, and why.

If there was ever an employment dictate, whether in the public or private sectors, against which I have always railed because of its sheer inexplicability and its unfair existence which caused much inconvenience to public service newcomers, it was this piece of decrepit rule that has existed for decades without challenge. I say challenge, because I hold the view that it should have been challenged by the Trade Unions. Maybe, they did, but it is not known.
It is an understatement to say that it is more than overdue, timely and another effort at modernising our public service, in an on-going process, especially in light of seeking to attract a better qualified and competent staff to a public service that is expected to step up to serve an oil-and-gas economy. This is another aspect of removing an unnecessary constraint that may have resulted in the loss of talent, a figure which we may never know.
Finally, the 500 vacancies announced for applicants signals a recruitment system which is intended to create a level playing field, open to ALL Guyanese. It is a departure from those days when such vacancies were known to be controlled by Party influence and recommendation, often discriminating against better qualified applicants.  It was the kind of system which created unemployment among a growing number of university graduates, a situation that was unheard of during the Burnham administration, which ensured the employment of all graduates, despite the existing challenges at that time.
Coincidental to the employment sector, could one imagine a valedictorian informing the then president of Guyana, visiting her community in the early 2000s, that she had been unable to secure employment, and rather than give assurance as to her having a job, told her that he will see what he can do.
The minister’s announcement is another progressive step to a better, improved public service.

Regards,
Earl Hamilton