Toward greater civility

The government’s decision to cancel the cost-of-living increase, which was scheduled for the civil service, has and will continue to result in the lessening of civility toward members of the public who have to deal with government service providers in immigration, customs, police, motor vehicle licensing etc. The blame does not lie with these service providers who, considering the importance of their work, are paid poorly; in my opinion. These are the most important people in the public service and should be paid accordingly. 

In an article called “Toward Greater Efficiency in the Public Service”, published by The Caymanian Compass on 28 July, 2011, I said the following: “If we want greater efficiency in the public service and better customer responsiveness in the Cayman Islands public service, three steps must be taken, as follows: (1) identify your most important staff members; (2) pay them accordingly; and (3) support them fully”; these words apply not only to efficiency but also to civility, which seems to be in short supply. 

Unfortunately, the civil service seems to be top heavy with many individuals being overpaid; putting the word “strategic” in the title of a person with responsibility for human resources doesn’t justify a salary three times that of a person who works at the counter at the Immigration Department, or for that matter, a starting police officer. The real VIPs in the public service are those who interact daily with the public whom they are supposed to serve; in other words, where the rubber meets the road; we ignore this at our peril. 

Paul Simon