PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE As a Country we have weathered many storms and triumphed over adversities and as a public sector we have stood in the breach through them all well before Jamaica became an independent nation. Long before the 6th of May 1919, the forerunners of the Jamaica Civil Service Association (JCSA) had many challenges to deal with as the world was in crisis then as it is now. There was a Global war and there was also a pandemic. We are fighting a global war and this one is being waged on the economic front and has been exacerbated by the Covid 19 Pandemic just as we were impacted by the 1919 Spanish flu. This all brings to mind the old adage “the more things change the more they remain the same” this was true in 1849, when Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr coined the phrase, and it still rings true today. My Involvement in the JCSA from being an ordinary member right up to being President has been characterized by the Union and its membership going through many changes as we grapple with one crisis or another. Some caused by our own decisions, others we have no control over, but we have held the center and things did not fall apart. The public sector is under attack and public services are undervalued, the lack of investment from 1962 to now is striking. The use of contract employment for established jobs is bordering on inhumane…however we are seeing a change in that paradigm with a renewal of focus on the role and function of public services brought about by how we have responded to our triple threats of Crime, Covid 19 and a weak economy. Public sector transformation, the deepening of the use of technology, the strengthening of the capacity of the public sector through training and education and the rightsizing of the compensation structure of the Public Sector will 2020/2021 Annual Report
in the medium to long run yield significant rewards to the country. However, all these changes must be institutionalized, and the public sector be that place of choice to work, where the best and the brightest come to secure their careers. In this our 102nd year of existence the JCSA has laid the foundation for the future of its members and by extension all public officers. Our persistent and consistent championing of the legitimate interest and concerns of our members will allow us to move them from surviving to thriving. We are well on our way with the involvement in the legislative process in making submissions to the Joint Select Committees examining certain bill, our representation of our members all the way to the UK Privy Council, the Certification of all our delegates in industrial relations, the launch of our fitness and wellness center, the strengthening of our Thrift society to manage the finances of our members, the lobbying for more and better housing solutions for JCSA members, to assist our members to own a car for less than they would pay at the car mart, all this while negotiating with our employer for better benefits to include economic gains. As we were in 1919, we have been persistent, we have been consistent and we are committed now more than ever to move our members from surviving to thriving.
O’Neil W. Grant, MBA 17
