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| Volume No. 1 Issue No. 38 - Sunday March 02, 2003 |
Government and PSU Impasse
 by a reader
I have been listening to the latest debate on the Public Service Union (PSU) and government impasse. I recently migrated from Dominica, and I must say that I am very much concerned about the position that we now find ourselves.
Even without having all the facts, I am inclined to say that the union is being very unrealistic. I wonder if the manner in which they went on strike is in the best interest of the country.
Has thorough analysis been done to determine where the extra fat in the government service is? Are the stakeholders sufficiently involved in the process? In the absence of transparency one should expect that any measure that is put in place by government will be resisted by those that stand to be on the losing end. That resistance is something that we cannot afford at this time of our development (or underdevelopment).
I am deeply concerned about the current situation, and I think now is the time that we need to implement some innovative ideas to get things going in our beloved country. We need to do things that are outside of the norm to ensure success. We do not now have the luxury of time to undo the damage that may result in doing things the "normal" way.
My wish is that the government and PSU along with well-intentioned Dominicans now seat down to have open dialogue on the issue of the size of the public sector wage bill. Although this should have been done a few months ago, I must add that we can no longer delay.
Persons, with what the public view, as having inflexible negotiating skills must be left out of that process. Their views can be considered but they should not form part of the panel. I understand that the union agrees that the service may be too large but they need further evidence. I am afraid that if these issues are left to the politicians or those appointed by them, that will defeat the purpose of the exercise.
What may happen is that the government or those appointed by them to carry out that exercise of cutting may do so to satisfy the politicians and not necessarily for the greater good of the service. We know that it will be counter productive to have productive areas of the service cut while unnecessary areas or people are kept. That is a very real danger, which has the potential of taking public service productivity even lower.
Government gives the impression that the International Monetary Fund (IMF) is inflexible and do not take prevailing situations in the target country into consideration. Very often, it is an ill that needs to be addressed in these countries that is the real problem. Most people are not aware of the role of the IMF in these situations and experiences like Jamaica are paramount in their minds.
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