BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – MINISTER of Public Utilities, the Hon. Dr. Earl Asim Martin stated that the corporatisation of the Electricity Department is a component of his ministry’s vision to improve the management and operational efficiency of the electricity services in St. Kitts.
According to Monday’s (Feb. 17) post-Cabinet briefing, Martin said that as the economy continues to grow and consumers expect a higher quality of service, "drastic improvements must be contemplated" and such improvements could be more expeditiously achieved if the department were made into a public corporation.
He noted the new electricity corporation would have the latitude and independence to make the necessary investment decisions to radically improve the quality of electricity services in St. Kitts.
Martin stressed that, upon corporatisation, the necessary pension plans would have to be put in place to secure the benefits of all workers. He recommended the St. Kitts-Nevis-Anguilla National Bank’s pension fund as a model to be researched and revealed that the benefits of civil servants who opt to transfer to the corporation would be guaranteed by the state.
He added that his ministry was working with the necessary government agencies to properly establish a compensation package for the transfer of these workers.
In an exclusive interview with SKNVibes, Minister of Information Sen. Nigel Carty disclosed that the idea to corporatise the Electricity Department had first formed over a year ago. He stated that although a deadline for corporatisation did not exist, the government was undertaking major steps to address the issue.
“The government is reviewing benefits the department’s workers would receive, the department’s relationship with the Water Department and whatever can be done to enhance the services provided by the department once it becomes fully corporatised.
“We have already assessed the human resources and the preliminary structure that would be required for the new corporation, such as its Board of Directors, et cetera. We are also consulting with stakeholders to ensure the corporatisation process is transparent and would result in the enhanced delivery of electricity services,” Carty said.
