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‘Absolutely no credibility’ to reports of cutting Civil Service- David D. Archer Jr

- but said civil servants are now being held more accountable
It has long been a talk that the United Kingdom (UK) has been pressuring the Government of the Virgin Islands to reduce the number of persons employed in the Public Service, especially since a significant percent of the National Budget goes towards employee remuneration. Photo: VINO/File
While a guest on Talking Points on ZBVI 780 AM on Wednesday, November 30, 2022, Deputy Governor David D. Archer Jr (2nd from right) was asked by co-host Damian C. Grange, left, whether the talk of the public service possibly seeing layoffs had any truth. Mr Archer Jr; however, dismissed reports of a cut in the civil service. Photo: Facebook
While a guest on Talking Points on ZBVI 780 AM on Wednesday, November 30, 2022, Deputy Governor David D. Archer Jr (2nd from right) was asked by co-host Damian C. Grange, left, whether the talk of the public service possibly seeing layoffs had any truth. Mr Archer Jr; however, dismissed reports of a cut in the civil service. Photo: Facebook
BAUGHERS BAY, Tortola, VI- It has long been a talk that the United Kingdom (UK) has been pressuring the Government of the Virgin Islands to reduce the number of persons employed in the Public Service, especially since a significant percent of the National Budget goes towards employee remuneration.

And with $128.92 million or 38.48% of the $399.33M National Budget for 2023 allocated for paying the over 2500 civil servants, an estimated $335.08 for Recurrent Expenditure and just $41.59 million allocated for capital expenditure, the talks have resurfaced again.

While a guest on Talking Points on ZBVI 780 AM on Wednesday, November 30, 2022, Deputy Governor David D. Archer Jr was asked by co-host Damian C. Grange whether the talk of the public service possibly seeing layoffs had any truth.

Mr Archer Jr; however, dismissed reports of a cut in the civil service.

No cuts in civil service- Deputy Governor

“There are a few persons you can ask this question to. I happen to be one of them. So right now, there is absolutely no credibility to that and, obviously, you know we have just given an update on the transformation of the public service and where we are going. Our idea is, we believe through technology we can create better experiences for persons doing business with the public service.

“But we also believe with the bodies that we have, 2600 of them, there is room for all of those individuals to contribute in new jobs, in new particular ways, so the idea is never to aimlessly just cut,” Mr Archer Jr responded.

Accountability

The Deputy Governor explained that it is never a good idea to cut employment and that even private sector companies have had to backpedalled on such decisions and scramble to rehire.

“Because they realise without human capital, as much as you think robots can replace individuals, someone has to think about the new robot and the new technology.

“So that has never been our approach but of course that comes with accountability, and I have said that to public officers,” Mr Archer Jr said.

He further said an accountability mechanism has been put in place and that he is now privy to and continues to monitor complaints against civil servants by clients and address them accordingly.

25 Responses to “‘Absolutely no credibility’ to reports of cutting Civil Service- David D. Archer Jr”

  • Hmmmm (01/12/2022, 11:50) Like (8) Dislike (1) Reply
    Another forced move by the Governor and the UK from behind but let the local government do it while they do the usual of looking innocent and keeping their hands clean. BVI WAKE UP!
    • Rubber Duck (01/12/2022, 13:21) Like (9) Dislike (6) Reply
      The BVI Civil Service is far too big. It needs to be reduced to about 1/3 of its current size, and the employees need to work hard and stop surfing the internet.
      • @rubber duck (01/12/2022, 16:30) Like (1) Dislike (1) Reply
        We expect nothing else than this type of slavery mentality from the bloggers down by the slave master's office.
  • WOW (01/12/2022, 11:56) Like (17) Dislike (2) Reply
    This one stink of the slave masters again. They always get us to kill each other using their plan by making us think it is us verses us. The UK want the ratios of debt to income in the budget down significantly so the only way to do that is to cut the public service significantly without saying so. They are at it again while we are sleeping and fighting each other.
    • To WOW (01/12/2022, 16:36) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
      Well said.
    • At wow (01/12/2022, 19:01) Like (2) Dislike (0) Reply
      And what exactly is wrong with having a sustainable debt to income ratio? Please help me understand that one..And explain to me why reducing the massive government payroll should not be considered. Sometimes I have a hard time believing some of the nonsense that actually flows through people’s brains and typed for the world to read. You people are out of tough with reality. The path that we are on is not sustainable. It will come tumbling down in a few years if sensible adjustments are not made soon.
  • Youth (01/12/2022, 12:04) Like (12) Dislike (3) Reply
    This messenger will not see when and how the governor and his handlers do exactly what they tell him to say will not happen. People remember the governor kept telling us during the COI that it just a report and we should not jump to any conclusions as we will discuss the way forward together when the report is received and agree a way forward. But when the report came, he took all its recommendations wholesale and right away had his bosses in the UK pass an order in council to suspend the constitution if the BVI does not implement all the recommendations from a one-man COI commissioner that he appointed without transparency that was assisted with UK staff from the same department as the Governor to do the COI and produce the apparent reauthored report. DO NOT TRUST THESE PEOPLE!!!!!!! They continue to play us for fools. They are at it again!!!!!!!!
  • Why Not? (01/12/2022, 12:43) Like (14) Dislike (2) Reply
    What we have is not sustainable or working so why wouldn't you explore getting rid some of the useless staff who do not contribute to anything?
  • gauranteed (01/12/2022, 12:47) Like (3) Dislike (2) Reply
    No lodge members will be cut
  • Really (01/12/2022, 13:09) Like (2) Dislike (4) Reply
    I can barely talk truth on Vino without getting censored. Get ready for digital credit control system. I can't say much because they control what the people who are lost in this world knows. They want to keep you all dumb because you can't understand what they are talking about because it's fantasy words like mRNA COVID 19 vaccine. You all don't even know what mRNA means
    • Sue (01/12/2022, 15:33) Like (2) Dislike (0) Reply
      @Really so tell the people what mRNA means educate us on what you know.
      • @Sue (01/12/2022, 18:28) Like (1) Dislike (2) Reply
        Seek knowledge my dear, you sound foolish. It's 2022, stop looking to others and do your own research.
  • Wondering? (01/12/2022, 13:12) Like (2) Dislike (0) Reply
    A modern city, on the U.S. east coast, population of 70,000 had an annual budget of $250 million dollars for 2021. Something very wrong
  • Here is the Justification. (01/12/2022, 13:14) Like (3) Dislike (0) Reply
    If they show up late everyday under performed. Yes, you will need all of them and more to get the hours in and the work done efficiently,. On the contrary if they were showing up on time and being effecicent,, you won't need that much, , so yes, the current culture of lateness and inefficientcy the reason why you need them all...The culture is working to keep all employ.
  • Wondering ? (01/12/2022, 13:21) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
    This city of 70,000 has a workforce of 1,100. For real !
  • Anonymous (01/12/2022, 13:24) Like (1) Dislike (0) Reply
    is archer the minister of Finance? or he just running his mouth? There will be cuts very soon too
  • big boy (01/12/2022, 14:16) Like (1) Dislike (0) Reply
    They need to shut up the liar up at DOIT from spreading that story. She should be the first one they get rid off.
  • Paper Pushers (01/12/2022, 15:00) Like (4) Dislike (9) Reply
    Non functioning and non productive employees need to come off the payroll. Employees need to be rewarded base on their level of productivity, and generally how much they contribute to solving issues, not the amount of hours spent in the building.

    The majority can't even push paper well. They do not understand their role. They should be an asset to business, but are more like a burden. These people get paid to wreck havoc.
  • Native Senior Citizen of the British Virgin Islands (01/12/2022, 15:19) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
    You seem to know as to what are and what are not. Please, if you know, who is government Official 1, how we can recovered at least the greater part of our finances, that we desperately need to increase our budget figure next budget report.

    I may be wrong to ask of you this question, but should you or the Premier should have been the person to informed us on this topic issue?
  • Create a new culture (01/12/2022, 15:36) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
    If the can first create a new culture of earliness and effeciency..
  • Xxx (01/12/2022, 16:08) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
    Hope he is being truthful
  • here we go again (01/12/2022, 16:35) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
    The governor and Uk sitting back and once again create havoc and letting us as Caribbean people fight each other by some insisting public officers be fired and others pleading not to. All I will say is that the public service is under the Governor, and he has failed and now coming up with a new plan to address his failure at our expense. Start by cutting that massive number of staff down by the Governor. It is not justifiable.
  • hypocrites (01/12/2022, 16:41) Like (0) Dislike (1) Reply
    As a people we are so programmed by those who pretend to like us but really trying to enslave us. When something under a Minister goes wrong, we blame them but when something goes wrong under the Governor, we go silent and give him a free pass. The public service is under the governor and for years he has failed in his job. He is now up to another plot but making it to seem otherwise. SMDH.
  • Mustang (01/12/2022, 17:21) Like (1) Dislike (0) Reply
    It is an open secret that civil service is bloated and unproductive. 2500 employees to serve a popuiation of approx 30,000-34000.$42M for capital expenditures is reficlous given the condition of the infrastructure , ie, riads, water, sewage, drainage, electricity, etc. Budget priority allocations are imbalanced and misplaced. The Deputy Guv, the water boy , didn’t give a straight answer; it was all political spin. From his answer, clearly there is a plan in place to revamp the civil service. It seems that new job descriptions will be created abd tgat current employees may not be grandfathered and will have to compete for the jobs. The Deputy Guv needs to truthful tell employees the plan of action and where they stand. But the Governor’s Office only tells the truth when caught in a lie, ie, the Andrew Fahie DEA investigation. The Guv was mum and knew nothing abd lol and behold he spilled the beans to a UK news source. They have a propensity to dish to UK news sources, not BVI sources. Their actions are deliberate, catering to and trying to get the sympathy of Britons. Is Deouty Guv telling the truth or is it another pinniocho?
  • go from here wid dat (02/12/2022, 08:29) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
    We aint cutting nobody...We are spending our own money not the UK money


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