COLLISION COURSE

A foul-up by the Ministry of Finance and the Public Service that may have resulted in millions of dollars being paid to government employees since January is causing unease in the public sector as it seeks to halt the payments.

The Jamaica Civil Service Association (JCSA) is challenging the finance ministry's decision to reverse mileage payments to “hundreds” of public sector workers who depend on taxis to get the job done and is demanding that the ministry “withdraws” a circular sent to permanent secretaries, heads of departments and agencies and CEOs for its discontinuation.

In the October 20 circular, which was seen by The Gleaner, Financial Secretary Darlene Morrison told senior public officers that the ministry unintentionally authorised the mileage payments by listing taxicabs as one of the modes of transportation.

The finance ministry, in a January 10 circular, indicated that mileage was payable at the prescribed rate “regardless of mode of transportation used for travel to perform official duties”.

It identified taxis, motor vehicles and motorcycles as acceptable modes of transportation at that time.

But in an about-turn communicated in the October 20 circular, Morrison told the senior public officers that the term “regardless of the mode of transport” related to either motor vehicles or motorcycles.

“The word taxi was inadvertently included in the brackets. There is no prescribed mileage rate for travel by taxi,” Morrison said.

Further, she said that the payment of mileage is strictly related to the use, by an officer, of a motor vehicle or motorcycle which he/she owns, or which he/she has been given written permission, via an entrusted motor vehicle declaration form, by the owner to use in the performance of his/her official duties.

However, JCSA President Techa Clarke-Griffiths has countered Morrison's “clarification”, noting that the ministry's discontinuation of motor vehicle upkeep payments resulted in employees claiming mileage regardless of the transportation mode.

She said that this was also supported by a November 2022 circular issued by the ministry.

Clarke-Griffiths told The Gleaner that before motor vehicle upkeep was rolled into salaries, some employees received commuting allowance.

She explained that these were employees who did not own motor vehicles but whose positions required that they travel for work.

The union president said this category of workers was left at a disadvantage because the only mode of transportation became taxi, motor vehicle or motorcycles.

She said as a result, the workers began claiming for taxi mileage payments.

“Almost a year later, the Ministry of Finance is coming to correct what was clearly unsustainable in the first place,” said Clarke-Griffiths, referring to the discontinuation of commuting allowance.

“They need to review the motor vehicle policy because the two circulars are not making sense,” she insisted.

She said the situation grew worse after persons employed in April 2022 were no longer classified as travelling officers but held positions that required them to carry out duties by travelling without being able to claim.

Added to that, she said some employees who are to be reimbursed for travel have not received payments because of the latest circular, which has created some unease.

“The only way to fix this is to withdraw the circular and the ministry better not think about reclaiming from those persons who would have claimed for taxi [based on] the instruction of the previous circular. They better not think about any form of recovery from workers because that it going to be another problem,” Clarke-Griffiths asserted.

She said a significant number of those affected include public health inspectors, who are required to travel to communities for work but do not drive.

In an emailed response to a Gleaner query about the discontinuation of payments, Morrison said that there was never a provision for it, “therefore, [there is] no instruction from this ministry to discontinue something that has never existed”.

kimone.francis@gleanerjm.com