CHARLESTOWN, Nevis – SCORES of workers, who were allegedly put on the Nevis Island Administration’s (NIA) payroll by the former Joseph Parry-led Administration for their political support, will soon have their services terminated.
Also to be terminated are those individuals whom the new Administration alleged were given lucrative contracts with built-in gratuity payments.
This information, among others, was made public through a release from Nevis Premier’s Press Secretary Mervin Hanley.
Hanley, in the release, stated that the NIA’s Cabinet had spent the last two weeks undertaking an analysis of the staffing of various government offices and the state of the Administration’s Wages and Salaries Bill.
“That analysis reveals that scores of workers were put on to the Administration's payroll by the former Administration purely for their political support. In some instances, these individuals had no assigned jobs, no particular job descriptions and no particular qualifications. Some never showed up for work and in at least one case a worker was paid nearly $4 000 per month for the past several years and has never spent a single day at any Government office.
“Several others were employed full time elsewhere in the private sector but were still collecting a salary from the Administration. Many supporters of the former Administration had several jobs while other Nevisians had none. Yet others were given lucrative contracts with built in gratuity payments. Many of the said contracts were hurriedly signed shortly before the last elections.”
The Press Secretary noted that the NIA is satisfied that what occurred under the previous Administration was “a wholesale abuse of the public purse”, and that the abuse has to stop.
He stated that consistent with its mandate to provide proper representation to the people of Nevis, the Administration has taken the decision to restructure certain departments to bring them in line with acceptable standards.
“Abusive contracts have been terminated and individuals who were being paid without having to work or were being paid hugely inflated salaries purely for their political party support have been advised of this restructuring,” he added.
Hanley further stated that the Premier of Nevis, Hon. Vance Amory, has made it clear that “it cannot be business as usual and secret deals, nepotism and cronyism have no place in the governance of a modern Nevis”.
He noted Premier Amory added that his Administration would be transparent and would insist on a level playing field for all Nevisians and residents on the island.
On Tuesday, January 22, 2013, the Vance Amory-led Concerned Citizens Movement won three of the five seats at the Nevis Local Elections and, since taking up office, the new Administration has promised to implement a number of systems to better the lives of those residing on the island.
