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No changes to public service classification in 20 years

Sep 10, 2017 News

The Commission of Inquiry (CoI) into the Public Service was completed and handed over in May 2016. Observers of the public service have since commented on the position of the public sector as it relates to its structure.
These opinions have been expressed by commentators in the letter pages of the press. Recently, one letter writer, Earl B. John, stated in a letter in Kaieteur News titled ‘Job Classification in the Public Service of Guyana’ that the Guyana Public Service instituted for more than two decades, an unchanged classification of jobs.
This conclusion was supported by Human Resources Management Expert, Nowrang Persaud, in his letter published in the Guyana Times, titled ‘Need to update, contextualise job evaluation/classification systems’.
According to John, 14 grades were established in relation to five classes of public servants— administrative, senior technical, other technical and craft skilled, clerical and office support, and semi-skilled operatives and unskilled.
John said that one question that needs to be asked is how these classes could have remained static in light of the technological advancements that would have changed the nature and structure of functions and even of the same jobs together with reconstructed agencies.
Further, he said that the CoI made a number of observations. One such is that job classifications cut across almost all grades.
“The most alarming are grades under the respective classifications: ‘Administrative’ and ‘Senior Technical’ starting from GS2 and continuing from GS4 – GS14.”
Another observation of the report that John highlighted was that the job classification system cannot be used for positions which do not match in terms of their duties and responsibilities.
He said that the report also suggested an adjusted job structure as a model despite it being a shortcut to a more comprehensive job evaluation exercise.
Further, he said that the current classifications in the 2017 National Estimates indicate that nothing has changed. He suggested that this is so since it is possible the report has not been read by its sponsors; particularly since no plans have been announced to implement any of the recommendations in the immediate future.
Meanwhile, Persaud in his comment on the issue said that John did an honourable service by highlighting the deficiencies of Human Resource Management and the improprieties in the classification of jobs within the public service.
“I feel obliged to support John’s repeated calls for urgent remedial action, which, incidentally, resonate with the recent report of the Commission of Inquiry (CoI) into the public service of Guyana.
He pointed out that there are a number of systems of job classifications used around the world and Guyana’s is among the oldest.
He said that a significant consequence of the system being used by the Guyana Public Service is the multiplication of ‘finite’ grades or classifications, a total of 14.
Moreover, he said, “I know of another arm of the government where there are 15 grades which in my view can be beneficially halved.”
He added, “Undue multiplication of grades with corresponding increases in the number of narrow salary scales tend to result in steep hierarchical, top-heavy organisational structures with invisible walls or ceiling which often frustrate career growth by constraining natural job enlargement/enrichment – the epitome of employee commitment, job satisfaction and growth.”
He said that current human resource management philosophy and practice, favour fewer grades and flatter organisational structures.

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