491 Retired Public Public Servants Reengaged

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NASSAU, BAHAMAS – A question from the Official Opposition during Question Time in the House of Assembly Wednesday morning led to the revelation by Public Service Minister Pia Glover-Rolle that nearly 500 public servants have been brought back into the service.

“The answer is, 491 retired public officers have returned to work, which represents 1.9 percent of the total number of public servants,” says Pia Glover-Rolle, Minister of Labour and the Public Service.

According to Glover-Rolle, 480 of them are receiving their pension and full pay, as required by law.

Soon after the news broke, the Davis administration came under fire from the public, who questioned the reason for re-engaging these public servants and why young Bahamian professionals are not being included in the process.

Glover-Rolle clarified the issue in an interview with Our News, saying the public service lacks proper succession planning.

“They’ve been brought back as consultants to assist us in this process of reforming the public service by ensuring that institutional knowledge is being passed down and that proper succession plans are put in place. I have received succession plans, in fact, from two ministers already. To eliminate this problem—and I say eliminate because we do not want this to continue—I am hoping that as this plan rolls out, we can go to zero,” says MP Glover-Rolle.

On average, Glover-Rolle says the public service loses around 800 employees annually due to retirement, resignations, and deaths.

As for the re-engaged civil servants, some residents feel more roles should be made available for younger Bahamians.

However, the Public Service Minister says that with these consultants working across government agencies, an increased focus has been placed on training to ensure their knowledge is passed along.

“The Department of Labour at this time has over 200 available jobs listed on our job seekers’ site. So, for young people looking to be employed, I encourage them to visit the Department of Labour. Let us pair you with opportunities for employment,” says MP Glover-Rolle.