Minister Henry Charles Usher Urges Public Officers to Use Proper Grievance Channels

Minister of Public Service, Henry Charles Usher, has outlined the proper channels for addressing grievances within the public service, as tensions continue between the government and the Public Service Union over the treatment of immigration officers recently placed on administrative leave.  The issue stems from last week’s remarks by PSU President Dean Flowers, who argued that the affected officers acted within the law after submitting valid medical certificates in accordance with Regulation 153 governing sick leave. Flowers maintains that there has been no challenge to the authenticity of those certificates, and that disciplinary action based on suspicion is unjustified.  In response, Minister Usher says there are established procedures that public officers must follow if they believe they are being treated unfairly, rather than escalating matters publicly.  Minister Usher emphasized that the public service has structured mechanisms for redress, allowing officers to formally raise concerns and have them reviewed through the appropriate administrative channels.  

Henry Charles Usher, Minister of Public Service: “Administrative leave is part of the regulations. When an investigation is ongoing that is a normal procedure so that that investigation can be carried out in a free and open manner. So I don’t see any laws being broken. Now as the president of the PSU said due process requires that if there is a grievance, if there is an issue that is found in an investigation, that those officers are given an opportunity to respond. And that is what we have to ensure, that you have to be given that opportunity to say your side and then from there, if it can’t be resolved as I said, it then is elevated to the Ministry of Public Service.”

He also addressed criticism surrounding the decision to place several immigration officers on administrative leave, a move the PSU has questioned.  According to the Minister, placing officers on administrative leave while investigations are carried out is a standard and lawful practice, intended to ensure that due process is followed without interference.

Henry Charles Usher, Minister of Public Service: “No conclusions have been reached. So I think that’s jumping the gun a little bit in terms of the conclusions that the President at the PSU reached. The fact of the matter is that you did have persons that were out sick, that they did provide their papers et cetera, that they’re supposed to provide in accordance with the regulations. Now the Ministry at the local level, the Ministry of Immigration is doing an internal investigation. If there is a grievance at any ministry level, there is a grievance procedure that should be followed. So if these persons had a grievance, whatever that grievance may be, the attempt is to resolve it at that ministry level first. If it can’t be resolved at ministry level, it’s then elevated to the ministry of public service. If at that level that grievance is unable to be resolved then of course you then go to the Public Service Commission. But what is important is that that process starts at or is completed because I think it already started at the local, at the line ministry level and then if the grievance is not able to be resolved there then of course the Ministry of Public Service as the human resource management organization of government would then step in to see if we can resolve it.”

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