The Tribune

By KHRISNA RUSSELL

Deputy Chief Reporter

krussell@tribunemedia.net

WOMEN’S rights advocate and consultant to the Ministry of Social Services and Urban Development Dr Sandra Dean-Patterson was among more than 100 re-engaged pensioners who were notified by the Minnis administration their services were no longer needed.

Dr Dean-Patterson and consultant Leila Greene, who were given special projects at the ministry, received the letters nearly two weeks ago, The Tribune was told.

Sources close to the matter claimed no advance notice had been given to either woman that the move was being considered by the government. However, last month Public Service and National Insurance Minister Brensil Rolle told The Nassau Guardian the government was assessing 126 pensioners with a view to disengaging them.

While he would not go specifically into the government severing ties with these consultants, Mr Rolle said yesterday the letters were issued with a view to providing an opportunity for the next generation of Bahamians who want to work in the public sector.

He said the majority of these pensioners fell in the salary range of $80,000 to $150,000.

He is expected to make a communication in Parliament today on the government’s proposed changes to the public sector.

“What I can confirm is a number of re-engaged pensioners have received letters of notification that the government has pivoted away from re-engaging pensioners,” Mr Rolle told reporters outside the Sir Cecil Wallace Whitfield building on West Bay Street before Cabinet’s Tuesday meeting. “(This is) to provide some opportunity for the next generation of Bahamians and deserving individuals in the service to be promoted to do these tasks.”

Asked whether additional persons will be disengaged in the coming weeks the minister said he could not comment.

“What I can say is that our policy on re-engagement is very simple. If you have served the Commonwealth of the Bahamas for 30 or 40 years and you are receiving a pension and your pension is substantially high, we are providing some opportunities in this tough time for other individuals to work for the government and we are taking the position that there are many qualified persons in the service who can do the job.”

He continued: “We are looking for skills. We are looking to improve our skill sets. We are trying to encourage Bahamians who are outside of the country to come back home and we know we can do some things to make it attractive for them to serve this country. Many of them want to do that and we will provide them with that opportunity.”

In August, Mr Rolle told The Nassau Guardian of plans to cut back on consultants who are pensioners.

“We are dealing with persons who are retired and are receiving hefty pensions,” he said at the time.

“We are talking about individuals who at least were making approximately from a range of $60,000 to $140,000 a year.

“That’s the grouping that we are dealing with in terms of reassessing and all of the persons that we have given notice to so far in the public service have been individuals who are now receiving an active pension from the government.

“So in addition to their pension, which could be handsome…they are receiving a salary of at least $60,000 a year.”

These pensioners were re-engaged at the highest level of the public service, he said last month.