NRA denies forced job cuts

| 26/09/2012

roads (241x300).jpg(CNS): Government officials have denied speculation that the National Roads Authority (NRA) will be laying off as many as fifty members of staff before the end of the year. The deputy premier has stated that her ministry will not be making any forced job cuts and that the roads authority was managing its own budget and personnel issues. Officials from the ministry responsible and the NRA board chair held a meeting with employees at the authority Monday to quash what they said were rumours regarding redundancies. However, the need to cut costs was made clear by the board chair, Colford Scott, who asked staff to work together to achieve that.

The news of the meeting comes three months after Scott, in his capacity as board chair, wrote to the former NRA managing director, Brian Tomlinson, laying him off as a result of downsizing at the department.

Last week, speaking at a Public Accounts Committee meeting at the Legislative Assembly, Tomlinson said the NRA had been downsizing for the last three years and staffing levels had been reduced gradually through the departure of ex-pat workers on contract and retirees who were not replaced. Tomlinson was giving evidence in relation to a $3.5 million public roads project in Cayman Brac, where half a million dollars of public money had been used to pave private driveways and commercial parking lots.

He revealed that when the ministry began the Brac paving project, it was the NRA team and equipment which were moved over to the Sister Islands, even though that project was undertaken by the ministry and District Administration, not the NRA. Tomlinson revealed that during the controversial project the NRA had acted merely as an agent on the project and was essentially depleted of resources by it. This forced the NRA to turn to the private sector paving companies on Grand Cayman, such as ARCP and Island Paving, and contract them to undertake the regular maintenance of the roads on Grand Cayman.

Since then, there have been concerns from staff at the NRA that the authority could be downsized to merely a technical organisation, with the work of actually laying and paving roads being distributed between public works and the private sector companies on contract.

During Monday’s meeting with NRA employees Deputy Premier Juliana O’Connor Connolly reportedly denied that jobs would be forcibly cut from the authority.

“My ministry is not involved in compulsory personnel cuts,” she told NRA staff, according to a release from her ministry. Stating that the ministry was not directly involved in personnel mattersas that was in the hands of the board, she said she felt that she had to reassure staff that the rumors concerning 50 job losses at the authority before December were not true.

“It is not the ministry’s purview to lay off any staff at the NRA,” O’Connor Connolly said. “Government departments and statutory authorities have been given their own funds to work with and we have to live within our respective budgets. Just like we all do, even in our personal lives.”

Scott, the NRA chair, also denied any impending layoffs and asked staff to concentrate on working together to find ways to cut back on spending and maintain the good name of the NRA.

“We need to find ways to improve efficiencies, and continue our progress and staff can assist in that process. You all work in the field; you know your jobs, so if you have any suggestions on how we can fine-tune the work, then please let your supervisor know. We are all in this together and we must work together to find solutions,” he added.

Related articles:

Government road boss fired

Brac paving left NRA short

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

Category: Local News

About the Author ()

Comments (46)

Trackback URL | Comments RSS Feed

  1. Anonymous says:

    I can bet anything, that now they would want to draft up new documents to insure that whatever is said at NRA will stay there or it will mean your fired!

    SMH its said but money does change everything, no one thinks to cut from the people getting all the money but yet they are so quick to take from the ones that barely have it

    We are people so blinf to everything that is happening around them?? Something SHADY is going own at NRA, they only taking trying to play it out carefully!

  2. Anonymous says:
    One of the Biggest mistakes with all the Paving on The Brac is that they did not cut down the Hill at Warbler Road & Marie Ave..this is one of the Most Dangerous places on The Brac..It would have been SOOOOOO Easy at the time…the fill could have been used near Boddens car rental, so low floods all the time.
     
    I guess they are waiting until someone gets killed or seriously hurt before they do something. Just hope it's not Me!!
    • Anonymous says:

      Walk in our shoes if U think it's "Funny" to put your life on the line to leave home !!

    • Anonymous says:

      Hey walk in our shoes if you think it's "Funny" to have take your life in your hands just to get in or out of your road !!

  3. Anonymous says:

    CNS, what does it mean when someone clicks on the "Troll" button?

     

    CNS: CNS adds ‘troll’ button to comments

  4. Load of Fail says:

    Best get the rest of the private paving done before the govenment goes bankrupt, so that the votes they are buying get paid for, otherwise who will replace these elephants in the room come election day? 

    Caymanians: always remember that you paid for this load of failure by voting in these people and by accepting the free rides they offered for your votes, and that the giftsyou were receiving are paid for by yourselves with the lost jobs and economic disaster you have brought upon yourselves.  Corruption sucks, especially when you are both the victim and the perpetrator.

  5. Anonymous says:

    Sir Colford is actually quadriple dipping I believe and this is the order in which he would have built his portfolio:

    1. Public Service pension;

    2. NRA Chairman;

    3. Brac Pave-Everywhere Project Manager; and

    4. Deputy Supervisor of Elections.

    XXXXX

    • Anonymous says:

      Is he also STILL the Director of Brac PWD under Julie's District Admin Ministry? If so, that would be quin-dipping (dipping in 5 times)!!

  6. YOUR CHURCH FRIEND says:

    JU JU ASK YOUR NEW NRA MD Y HE TYPE UP 51 NAMES AND HAD IT POSTED ON THE BOARD THAT HOW I SAW MY NAME ON IT. IT DID NOT WALK THERE.

  7. Anonymous says:

    It is surreal how our glorious leaders continue onwards spending like crazed animals without a care in the world. How close are we to the time when the salaries of all of these entitled government workers cannot be paid and the  financial cupboard is bare? Can you imagine the social consequences when the impending collapse actually occurs? Face it folks, WE ARE LOOKING AT AN IMPENDING DISASTER.

  8. Anonymous says:

    Cut cost!!!  Someone should do an FOI into what the cost Government pay for JUJU to stay at Brac Reef Hotel and the Alexander Hotel on the Brac. From 2009 to 2012. Good for cost cutting option.

  9. Anonymous says:

    UDP is amazing.  Firstly, Mr. Tomlinson is let go because of downsizing, but now they are denying downsizing for the remainder of the staff; no work, cut in budget which means reduced money to pay staff, but not downsizing. 

    Secondly, the UDP says they have nothing to do with size of civil service, but here the Deputy Premier is out to emphasize to staff that the "Ministry will not be making any forced cuts."  Now make up your minds.

    Thirdly, the UDP Minister for Education said that the retirement age had to be increased because persons due to retire did not have enough money in their retirement plans to retire with and his colleague, Mr. Elio Solomon, has been campaigning for persons to be able to withdraw up to $30,000 from their pensions to spend today.  I wonder how the scenario will change when they come to retirement age?

    Fourthly, the Deputy Premier is saying we all have to live within our means.  If that is so, why didn't the UDP do so and axe the Nation Building fund and world travel budget so that taxes, pardon me, fees would not have to be raised?

    I used to pray for May 2013, but now I pray for March 2013 when the Governor disolves the house.  Boy, do they need to go!

    • Anonymous says:

      "Letting go" Mr. Tomlinson did not save money – He had to be paid in full for the last six months of his contract that he did not work.  It was pure malice, punishing him for "telling on the government" and a scandalous waste of tax payers money .

  10. Mitzie Miller Tomlinson says:

    I have had it with you Mrs. Juliana and Mr. Colford, one day you are saying that Mr Tomlinson was let go because you were downsizing, next time you say it was due to budget cuts, now in your meeting on Monday at NRA we were told he was dismiss because he was sick. Please make up your mine which one it is. We all no y he was dismiss, I Mitzie Miller Tomlinson would like to no how much your dept paid Mr Scott for the Brac work, because if you have to cut in staff you could had move one of the NRA people like Brian there to do the job . Mr Scott as you say he was dismiss because he was sick, then you should not have taken his insurance from him. My god will take care of him. Mitzie.

    • Truth says:

      Why are you still believing anything your leadership tellsyou? Mr Tomlinson was fired (not let go) because he did not agree with the "Honorables".   O wait!  Now I see why.  You have to.

    • Anonymous says:

      Keep pushing for the truth Mitzi, you are the only one who can take the lid off the fact that Brian's dismissal was pure vindictive disgusting reaction to his doing his duty.

      It is frightening how much power is in the hands of all our "honorables" and their not so honorable friends.

  11. Anonymous says:

    I always wondered why it took 4 person's to put in a road sign. Too many idle hands on payroll!!!

  12. Anonymous says:

    job cuts in the civil service????…never!….we can always force the private sector to pay more fees!!!!!

    how comes nothing around here makes any sense??

  13. Anonymous says:

    less work to bedone…but no job cuts????

    the civil service/social welfare system continues……………..zzzzzzzzz

  14. Anonymous says:

    Does this mean that we won’t see 5 hardworking NRA staff patching one pothole anymore?

    • Anonymous says:

      Instead you will see 6 ARCP or 4 Island Paving and 2 ARCP workers doing it.

  15. Anonymous says:

    The Marl Road  says the NRA is ceasing and going back to Public Works(PWD)

  16. Anonymous says:

    I don't suppose any of the glorious leaders of the NRA has the sense to realise that they could possibly cut costs by not using our public money to finance private road repair? That would require a certain amount of common sense (not to mention common decency) I expect. 

    • Anonymous says:

      Let's be clear, the Brac private paving with Govt funds was a decision made by either the Project Manager (Colford Scott) or the Ministry of District Admin (Juliana), the decision was not made by the ordinary employees at NRA.

      • Anonymous says:

        I dont think that Colford had anything to gain by wanting to pave the parking lots. I dont think that he is politically inclined.

    • Anonymous says:

      7.35 …and disobey a minister and so risk being fired?

  17. Knot S Smart says:

    Well we need to pay higher taxes and stop spending on our basic infrastructure so that Mckeeva can have the money to cover his world tours…

     

  18. Anonymous says:

    Didnt the Deputy Premeir promised Ms Dolly that she could stay in her house until death too? A promise is a comfort to a fools heart.

  19. paddy says:

    Time for some shaving somewhere

     

  20. Anonymous says:

    So, Colford asks for job cuts while he double OR TRIPLE dips (gets paid as NRA Chairman and as Brac Paving Project Manager and probably still getting paid as Brac PWD Manager?)????

     

    The man should be plastered with the same BS he's spouting.

     

    Is he calling for NRA job cuts so that his best friend (trust me, they are BEST FRIENDS), Minister Mark Scotland's, road paving company can get all of the Govt road paving contracts that are coming up? After they fire half of the staff, they will use the excuse that the NRA does not have the manpower to complete any road paving job, therefore the work needs to go to the private road paving company.

     

    DO NOT BE FOOLED CAYMANIANS AT NRA, these Ministers and Chairpersons are only looking out for themselves!! While you and your children go hungry at night.

    • Anonymous says:

      21:15, you forgot the allowance he gets along with Gomez and Connor for work at the Elections Office. It could be quadruple dipping!!

  21. Anonymous says:

    The headline flies in the face of Tomilison's dismissal.

  22. Anonymous says:

    Corruption is the elephant in the room.

  23. Anonymous says:

    JuJu should start by cutting her expenses.  Where she is now anyway?

  24. Anonymous says:

    Christ, Cayman is something else! Colford Scott was fired from his job as head of the NRA by Arden Mc Lean. New Govenment comes in and appoints him as Chairman of the NRA Board. He fires Tomlinson. So if there is a change of Government Colford Scott will be chucked out AGAIN because he is obviously UDP. Is this really the way we want to go on?

    • Anonymous says:

      No he will be gone for good as UDP are done, no one will forget this 4 year disaster of a government and his buddy mark is done also XXXXX

  25. Anonymous says:

    More BS from Julianna and Colford (what happened to you Bobo-you sell your soul?). If there are no roads to build and the painting of lines on the road is all done, what employment can the NRA offer its employees? Nothing. So, since genius Gilbert McLean made them an Authority, and there is no work for them, they have to be all let go. Or left on the UDP vote buying list.

    • Anonymous says:

      I think making them an Authority was a good thing. If there is no work them it is easier to down-size, rather than all of them being government workers who cannot be laid off. If they are laid off they can use some of the money they saved over the years to invest in a private company and do private work. This could be an opportunity!!

  26. YOUR CHURCH FRIEND says:

    So if there will be no "compulsory personnel cuts", why was the NRA MD terminated due to budget cuts? Was it an elective termination??????  I'll have to look these words up in the Oxford Dictionary. Hmmmmmmmm …

  27. Anonymous says:

    Ju Ju Is surely joking when she says we have to "Live within our respective budgets.."

    Ms. Deputy Premier do you not find that ironic..(Look it up ).. that your wasteful travel extravaganzas and the general behavior of you UDP hangers on completely ignore that sound piece of fiscal truth…? or did you read that somewhere..?

    • Anonymous says:

      It is a typical politician-speak. Do as we say, not do as we do.

      • Trying To Survive In Cayman! says:

        And I quote " Officials from the ministry responsible and the NRA board chair held a meeting with employees at the authority Monday to quash what they said were rumours regarding redundancies.

        However the funny thing is why no one is mentioning anything concerning the meeting which was held last Friday with the NRA staff where they were (Clearly) told there will be job cuts come December???????? Now this Monday morning the same staff are being (INSURED) there will be no job cuts by the ministry and NRA board chair????? Seems to me the beans were spilled before they were actually meant to be spilled last Friday. Wonder where this manager got his story from when he made the statement last week regarding (LAY OFFS) ????

        What a crock of BS.

    • Anonymous says:

      We certainly would like an audited figure on accomodation airline tickets and the unecessary body guard {Mr Paul}. That would be enough to pay for Ms Dollys accomodation as long as she lives even if it was for two more decades.