Poor working conditions force another Gov't Dept to close
The Training Division, which falls under the Deputy Governor's Office, and is located in the Betitto Frett Building across from the Central Administration Complex, is now closed because of reported sewerage issues. Senior Officials at the Government Human Resources Department are tight lipped on the issue and it is not clear when the Department will resume normal business.
An internal Email forwarded to our newsroom also confirmed that the Training Division was closed "until noon"; however, up to publication time the office was still closed for business.
It was just on Monday June 26, 2017 that our newsroom reported that the High Court Registry was working from under a tent in the middle of Road Town due to poor office conditions.
Civil servants have often complained about the poor working conditions for the past six years plus, including issues of mold in buildings, lack of adequate space, funds for their department’s projects and human resources to carry out policies.
31 Responses to “Poor working conditions force another Gov't Dept to close”
Phase 2 would be to investigate where Remote Working technology can reasonably be used. Again, the primary aim should be service delivery to the public and making this as accessible and as seamless as possible. This is where many other nations are heading with their Public/ Civil services. It is no use waiting to be behind the curve. Let's catch the wave on the crest. Remote working of course relies on being able to trust your staff to do what they must do without you hovering over them or them putting in 'face time' but the reality is that if you can't currently trust them to do what they have been hired to do, then why are they still in your employ?
Let the Public Service be about serving the public and let the staff and the customers of this territory ALL have facilities they can be proud of.
Moreover, was the sewage problem a sudden failure of the sewage system or was it a result of operational neglect? Who is responsible for maintenance and operations of the leased space? Is the lease a triple net lease, i.e. the leasee is responsible for maintenance and repair, capital improvement, taxes, utililities, insurance......etc for rental square footage? If so it is a sweet deal for the lessor. Nevertheless, government still has the responsible for providing a safe and healthful working environment for employees. Employees life, health and safety must come first. This is an integral part of the contract between government and employees. The apparent culture of running facilities to failure and poor facility management need urgent action.
The same problem with sewerage exists at the Labour dept but b*$s lady đet vex with the staff when they complaint because she afraid minister everyday staff members does stay home be