The C.E of the TCI, Mark Capes today addressed the Civil Servants Sick out today.
RTC News acquired a copy of his speech which states:
On 24 March, a number of civil servants responded to a call by the leadership of the Civil Service Association (CSA) to take part in what has been termed a ‘sick out’ (not reporting for work on the grounds that they were unwell). While the response across government was patchy and caused minimal disruption to most areas of government, firefighters at Providenciales International Airport were among those that chose to stay home. As a consequence of the firefighters’ decision the airport had to be closed to all flights. This is an extremely serious matter. The firefighters’ action, at the request of the CSA leadership, has caused enormous inconvenience to the thousands of passengers scheduled to pass through the airport: not only tourists, but also those travelling for business, or medical reasons. Of particular concern is that the firefighters’ action has the potential to jeopardize the ability of the airport to deal with any aircraft that might have needed to land in an emergency.
The CSA’s decision to include this essential government service in their action is seriously misguided. In addition to the impact on the airport’s ability to deal with an emergency, the airport closure will have a financial cost to many TCI businesses. It also has the potential to damage the TCI’s reputation as a top tourist destination.
On Friday 11 March the CSA sent an undated note by e-mail to the Governor and to the CEO containing a list of 17 ‘demands’. The note demanded a response within seven days. On Thursday 17 March the TCI Government advised the CSA that it was carefully reviewing the list of demands and would provide a substantive response as soon as possible. The CSA demands, which relate mainly to the detailed proposals for changes to payroll and pension issues put to the CSA by Government on 4 March, raise complex issues that require time to address properly. Work on a detailed response is almost complete with a substantive reply expected to issue by the end of this week. It is therefore disappointing that the CSA should have taken this premature step and encouraged such a damaging action by some public servants, rather than continue to work with the Government to a mutually acceptable outcome.
The CSA’s actions may also cause difficulties for the very civil servants they represent. As a consequence of the participation in the ‘sick out’ by some members of the Ministry of Finance, the financial system used for wage and salary payments was not operational today. This means that the payment of wages/salaries may be delayed.
