By Sheria Brathwaite
The National Union of Public Workers (NUPW) and Unity Workers’ Union (UWU) have launched investigations into allegations that the Barbados Revenue Authority (BRA) overlooked some officers for promotions and salary increases despite them being qualified.
Workers told Barbados TODAY they feel aggrieved and that there is no upward mobility at the BRA.
According to Caswell Franklyn, general secretary of the UWU, and Wayne Walrond, deputy general secretary of the NUPW, the employees have complained that the situation is significantly impacting staff morale, and want the matter urgently addressed.
One employee who reached out to Barbados TODAY said: “A lot of people with qualifications at BRA are being sidelined for positions, more than ten positions. What makes the situation worse is that existing workers have been acting in these positions for some time and then have to turn around and train the outsiders who come in because they are not familiar with the older systems we use. So we feel as though there is no upward mobility and the morale is low.”
Another worker complained: “Initially, the positions were not advertised, then they were advertised internally so there are no posts being advertised in the media, yet people from the outside are filling these positions. It is disrespectful and unfair. We were told that only people with degrees can get these positions but they are acting as though no one in BRA are degree holders. It is insulting.”
Franklyn stressed that people had been acting in certain positions for a number of years but yet were being overlooked.
“Their posts are bracketed (graded scale of wages) and when you reach certain requirements you go onto a [higher] salary. Usually, those requirements would be time or qualifications. These workers have met the qualifications but they aren’t being allowed to go up [the scale],” he said.
“People are also being brought in and rather than starting at the bottom of the scale they are going above the workers who were there ever since and these new people are not trained. Something is really wrong there.”
Walrond confirmed that the NUPW had been made aware of the staff’s concerns that “promotions seem to be not within the policy even though persons are qualified and competent”.
“It is creating great discontentment and bitterness and it is dampening the low morale that already exists. It is something we definitely have to address. We support the policy of promotion from within. Promotion from within as the first option, then if there are no suitable persons then you go external; even though you still have to be careful with,” he said.
Walrond said he knew there were well-qualified workers who could fill the vacant roles and questioned why they were being overlooked.
“We have gone into a craze of interviews, that is how we seem to bring in people…. So they will say they had interviews as part of a competitive process. But if you are performing well and well qualified, why can’t you not be promoted? If there is to be a competitive process then it should be fair. The person’s competency and performance should be taken into consideration especially if they were acting in the positions.
“Sometimes it comes across as if this thing about interviews is being used as a smoke screen where people want to pick who they want. It is as if they already made up their mind as to who they want, yet say there was a process of selection.”
Walrond added that he was hearing reports that the new hires were former workers of a particular company. This could not be immediately confirmed by Barbados TODAY.
Barbados TODAY has reached out to Revenue Commissioner Louisa Lewis-Ward for comment but no response had been received up to the time of publication.
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