Cornerstone Vol 2. Issue 1

Itwasagreatstarttotheyearas the Jamaica Civil Service Association (JCSA) set out to engage with members at its Chapter Annual General Meetings

The President and his team traversed the 14 parishes across Jamaica to give members an update on matters happening within the JCSA. The meetings were held in the months of January and February and took thehybridform

cont'donpage2

proclaims “that the third week of ”.November in each year shall hereafter be celebrated as Civil Service Week cont'donpage7

Sitting on the walls at the Secretariat of the Jamaica Civil Service Association (JCSA)istheframedcopyof the

for Civil ServiceWeek.

Signed by Howard Felix Hanlan Cooke it

April Events

April 7 - Good Friday

April 10 - Easter Monday

May Events

May 4 - Presidential Debates

May 6 - Farmer's Market & Concert

May 25 & 26 - Opening and Business Session for Annual General Meeting

June Events

General Council Retreat

Blast from the Past Blast from the Past

Check out the photos below from some of our activities last year and also our social media to see if you were snapped!

"GivethemanUpdate!"

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At the tip of members tongues were questions regarding the current compensation review and restructuring. President Grant addressed some of these concerns and assured them that the union is working with the Ministry of Finance and the Public Service (MOFPS) to resolvetheanomalies.

Present at the Chapter meetings were partners of the JCSA including the National Housing Trust (NHT), First Heritage Cooperative Credit Union (FHCCU), Jamaica Cooperatives Insurance Agency (JCIA), Sagicor and the Jamaica Civil Service Mutual TrustSociety(JCSMTS),

who also gave presentations to sensitize our members on the services they offer that members of the JCSA can benefitfrom.

First Vice President Techa ClarkeGriffiths poses with Chapter Chair Karen Coleman-Clarke (right) and Executive members of the St. Mary Chapter

Choir members from Manchester High School, winners of All-Together Sing getting ready to perform at the Manchester Chapter AGM

The Officers Corp before the start of the St. Ann's Chapter AGM.

President Grant brings greetings at the Manchester Chapter AGM

LikethepopularsongbyWillie Nelsonitwasnotlongafterour ChapterAGMsthatwewere“Onthe RoadAgain”astheteamonce againstartedonaseriesof Townhallmeetings

Withthemyriadofquestions comingfromthemembershipof theJCSAregardingthe CompensationReview,the PresidentandOfficerCorps supportedbythePRand Communicationsteamare undertakingacommunications strategythatseekstospread awarenessofandtodispelsomeof thefallaciessurroundingsaidtopic.

ThefirstTownhallheldwasheldinthe parishofPortlandonNovember30, 2022attheCollegeofAgriculture, Science,andEducationandthe secondintheserieswhichwasheldin ManchesterattheCecilCharltonHall inMandeville,Manchestersawa numberofmembersattendingboth physicallyandonline. 10

TheTownhallsallowmembersto haveaforumdedicatedtoreceiving thelatestinformationonthe compensationrestructuringandto askalltheirquestions.

Oursponsorshavealsobeenon boardforourtownhallmeetings providingon-the-spotassistancefor members

Service

Heritage Cooperative

Union

Natasha Rankine looks on as a member completes her registration at the Manchester Town Hall Meeting which was held at Cecil Charlton Hall in Mandeville

A member of the audience stands to ask a question at the Manchester Town Hall Meeting Customer

Representatives from First

Credit

at the Manchester Town Hall Meeting.

The JCS Housing Ltd is the Joint Venture Partner for the development of housing units. The JCS Housing is a Limited liability company fully owned by the JCSA whosepurposeistodevelophousingsolutionsforJCSA members. The Development of the lands at Irwin is being done under a Joint Venture Partnership with the NHT/JCSHousing/JCTU.

The Industrial Relations Unit of the Jamaica Civil Service Association was established in 2009 when it was discovered that there was a need to develop trained officers to handle members' grievances

Prior to the formation of the Unit, there was a Field Officer, Mr Junior Latibeaudiere who was responsible for promoting the organization, meeting with members, and recording their grievances. Currently, the Unit consists of 6 team members and they are making waves in Industrial

Relations

Meet the Members of the Dream Team!

George Thorpe -Industrial Relations Manager

I have been working with JCSA since 2009 as an IR officer but I have been a departmental representative since 1999 Industrial Relations is my passion because I believe in the principle of natural justice and its application.

The IR landscape has changed significantly as before, grievances within Jamaica's civil service were dealt with by the Associate Secretary and it was a one-man team but in 2009 things changed and we started to make the move towards developing a unit dedicated to Industrial relations.

Initially, Brother Kelvin Thomas and I were on secondment from the Ministry of National Security. We have now graduated from that to having several IR Officers and have expanded our services We have regionalized the service by having an IR practitioner in all the regions within the Jamaica Civil Service Association

The IR team has been doing exceptionally well. We have won many cases In many instances, there were breaches in the policy. After identifying the issues we try to find out whether or not there was a breach and if there is, we try to determine what is the remedy or how we should go about solving these cases

We have won cases where matters were even brought to attorneys and it was referred back to the Union and those matters were won successfully

Junior Latibeaudiere – Senior Industrial Relations Officer

I have been working with the JCSA for 23 years When I started working at the JCSA, there was no IR unit I was employed as a Field Officer. Field Officers at the time would go out in the field and help to sell the Association. I convinced Eddie Bailey, President at the time, that someone was needed to go out into the field to sell the organization and interact with workers on a one-on-one basis to hear their complaints and to convene meetings etc. The Field Officer would perform many duties. At that time we had a backlog of grievances.

Our associate secretary Mr Thomas Bryce dealt with grievances He would attend meetings and disciplinary hearings, and defend workers. When Mr. Bryce left, Mr. Wayne Jones saw the need for us to expand our role and functions to treat with grievances because there was a vast amount of grievances

The need arose for us to be trained in industrial relations because what we were doing was actually industrial relations, but we were not certified. So it was decided by the organization that they would allow us to engage in a professional course in industrial relations

at the Management Institute for National Development (MIND). So it was decided under the organization under Wayne Jones that we should do a professional course in industrial relations that's all that course started and I was among the first cohort that did it and we got intense training

Back then grievances were not being addressed on a professional basis As a matter of fact, there were no policies in government that dealt with grievances apart from the staff orders and the HR manuals so we lobbied with the Ministry of Finance to have a common policy,

because there was no structured policy of such where everybody would come to one authority, so out of that was born the grievance policy for the public sector and that is what we use now in conjunction with staff orders and public service regulations

We have now developed a unit where we have trained officers who approach grievance handling in keeping with best practices and what is laid out in the organization. We have seen a vast improvement because our approach is more professional, and it is more indepth we are better equipped to treat with our member's concerns we have represented workers at all levels from the floor sweeper to the permanent secretary

Alecia Pusey -Industrial Relations Officer

I have been with JCSA for approximately 3 years I have always had an interest in Human Resource Management, so even though I wasn't working in IR it's still a branch of HR and I'm seeing where I can be more impactful on workers in this capacity. am coming from the private sector. I have worked in HR for 3 years prior, so I would have been responsible for industrial relations, compensation, benefits, recruitment, selection, and termination So you can see where branching out in Industrial Relations and having that broad knowledge of HR is an asset for me and of course by extension the JCSA.

The experience here has been great thus far, I would not want to work with any other IR unit you have a very diverse working environment here. What we do as a unit is to bounce ideas off each other. So we have that great cohesiveness so if there's a particular case that you need assistance with you can get assistance from anyone in the unit

We operate in an environment where we're not afraid to share things So it creates an atmosphere for us to learn and of course, our supervisor has a lot of years of experience so we get a vast amount of knowledge from him and as we go along working the cases daily and liaising with other entities that helps you to learn and to grow as well.

I think all work here is very important and it is really forced to be reckoned with I think all members get a holistic kind of attention because there are times and we have to be counselors to them.

Joy Tucker - Harriot -Industrial Relations Officer

I have been at the JCSA for 15 years and counting Currently, I am assigned to Industrial Relations Unit as an Industrial Relations Officer treating with grievances and other matters In my role I attend meetings and hearing and represent workers of disciplinary hearings

There are times that I attend mediation sessions etc. When it comes on to representation I can tell you this is where we have to really stand up for our members because we recognize that there are issues where the members are at a disadvantage and we realize that the policies and procedures are not being adhered to. This is where we have to remind employers that where there are breaches in policies and procedures there will be issues. There are also instances where we have to conduct mediation sessions as well because as industrial relations officers we not only

ALECIAPUSEY INDUSTRIALRELATIONSOFFICER

good for me, it was right up my alley coming from such a young age in the Human Resource field which IR is a part of.

For me making the transition from Human Resources in a private entity to working with persons in the public sector I find that things happen differently in the private sector from the government In government, there are more regulations and rules that govern how things operate

When it comes to the government it is more intricate you have the public service regulation, the staff orders, and circulars coming out of the Ministry of Finance and the Public Service (MOFPS), and the Office of the Services Commission (OSC) Being a part of the IR team is really a rewarding experience because we really work as a team and we all complement each other.

So I might be strong in a certain area, and another team member has his or her strength in another area However, we collaborate with each other and brainstorm cases so you find that you're not alone in a box and we work well together which definitely helps the success of the team.

represent members at disciplinary hearings they're also times when we have to do mediation as well and especially when there's a work-related matter and we realize that the two persons were having issues, are to JCSA members what we do is to call them in meet with them and see how best we can resolve the conflict at that level

Rosalind Mckenzie Industrial Relations Officer

I have over 23 years of experience in Human Resources/Industrial Relations

Prior to coming to the JCSA, I worked at a senior level in HR Having been in HR for that long I find that I have an aptitude for it, I love dealing with people and I feel really good when I know that I've helped people It gives me great satisfaction So transitioning totally into IR was

I have been working at the JCSA for the past 9 months I have always had a passion for HR Management and having gotten the experience of at least 4 years in HR management I wanted to explore a field similar in discipline but more dynamic and hands-on

Having been exposed to IR I realized that it was the field more within my passion and a link between that and my dream to pursue law I have a chance to balance and to use my human resource skills and the legal framework to basically master the discipline of IR as much as I possibly can.

Being a part of the IR team has been most refreshing because our personalities are very diverse There is an equal balance of males to females within our unit We have very strong emotional intelligence which helps us to complement each other well and fill each other's gaps so that we bring out the best part of our professional selves. Ultimately, this harmony helps us get cases effectively resolved

ROSALINDMCKENZIE INDUSTRIALRELATIONSOFFICER

O'DANEFINDLAYSON INDUSTRIALRELATIONSOFFICER

O'Dane Finlayson Industrial Relations Officer

THE MAKING OF CIVIL SERVICE WEEK CONT'D

Here we see the commitment and dedication of the JCSA to advocate and lobby for our hardworking public officers The document reveals that a consensus was reached “for the institution of Civil Service Week when the work of Ministries, Departments and civil servants, generally would be highlighted

And since 1992, the celebration continues to be geared toward highlighting the worth and work of outstanding Civil Servants who have given excellent service to Central Government and to the country on a whole

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The first paragraph states that “Whereas it has become apparent that there is a renewed spirit of motivation and professionalism within the Civil Service as manifested by its display of technical ability in managing the affairs of State:” Hold up, a renewed spirit of motivation and professionalism? How was the state of affairs being handled before this apparent renewed spirit of motivation and professionalism?

This important document goes on to further state that “And whereas under Heads of Agreement, concluded, in respect of the period April 1, 1991 to March 31, 1992, between the Ministry of the Public Service and the Jamaica Civil Service Association”

The Week normally kicks off with a Church Service and since recently there has been a Public Forum There is the Long Service Award, which is held on the lawns of King’s House, where medals are presented to recipients for their sterling service, invaluable and dedicated contribution to Jamaica. Public servants who have served 25 years or more in various areas of the public sector are recognized for this award

The Government of Jamaica in partnership with First Heritage Co-operative Credit Union Limited (FHC) award three (3) outstanding public servants with the prestigious title of Civil Servant of the Year This marks the 18th year since its implementation in 2004 and is geared at highlighting the worth and work of outstanding Civil Servants who have given excellent service to Central Government and the country as a whole

Last year’s awardees were Lennox Wallace, Chief Public Health Inspector (Actg Parish Manager) who copped the Civil Servant of the Year in the Managerial Category while Oliver Morris, Customer Service Officer came out on top in the Mid Managerial Category and Simone Turton, Health Records Technician in the Technical Support Category The winner of the inaugural People’s Choice Award, with 35 9% of the 1,597 votes across the Public Service was Sophia Moulton, Director, Ceremonials, Operation and Staff Administration in the Office of the Prime Minister

Lennox Wallace was quoted as saying “I am elated that to have won Civil Servant of the Year in the Managerial Category” and “I am indeed humbled to have won this award and I also want to congratulate the other nominees Management is like a relay, when you take up the baton, run as hard and as fast to complete the task at hand ”

Each awardee received a plaque, a citation and a cash prize of $200,000 along with a $150,000 allocation for a joint community project, courtesy of First Heritage Cooperative Credit Union Limited (FHC)

Also among the activities for Civil Service Week are the Domino Knockout Session and a Vintage Night AfterWork Lyme which is normally held at the National Housing Trust, however during pandemic it was held virtually. Activities culminate with an island-wide church service across all chapters

A picture depicting the framed copy of the proclamation for Civil Service Week

Women's Action Committee Health Fair

Brown's Town Chapter Project Brown's Town Chapter Project