PNP demands resignation of CLA board amid hiring controversy

The Opposition People's National Party (PNP) is calling for the resignation of the Cannabis Licensing Authority (CLA) board amid growing concerns about the management and oversight of the state regulator.

Reports of unqualified and inexperienced individuals filling positions at the CLA raise serious concerns about the board's oversight, said industry spokesman Anthony Hylton in a statement today.

"The Opposition Spokesperson is calling for a fresh start at the agency, including the immediate appointment of a new board," the PNP said of the entity that regulates the ganja and hemp industry.

The CLA has been under scrutiny since The Sunday Gleaner revealed that in January, Chief Executive Officer Farrah Blake disbanded an oversight committee shortly after it opposed hiring an unqualified candidate for a senior role. Despite the committee's objections, the individual was hired in February but later resigned in May.

Nearly seven months later, the committee, mandated by CLA's internal policies, is yet to be re-established, prompting calls from dozens of workers for an audit of the agency.

The situation escalated recently with the assignment of an administrative assistant to a director's post to oversee the administration division after the previous director resigned.

Last week, the Christopher McPherson-led board said it will conduct a review of all hiring and firing decisions made since the Human Resource Executive Committee (HREC) was disbanded.

However, Hylton argued that the board should not lead that process and reiterated his call for the auditor general to investigate "the increasing reports of mismanagement within the agency".

"It is simply not credible that the board could be unaware of the numerous complaints and the high attrition rates of key personnel over an extended period, without understanding the implications for the agency's mandate to develop Jamaica's cannabis industry," Hylton said, describing the board's review as "too little, too late, after the proverbial horse has bolted".

The board said it played no role in the decision to dissolve the HREC, noting that the committee “is not within the purview of the board" but under the CEO's authority.

Hylton continued: “The board's inaction is compounded by its failure to implement governance measures that would prevent the rampant abuse of personnel, as evidenced by the hiring, firing, and promotion practices at the agency. This situation has been exacerbated by the disbandment of the Human Resource Executive Committee for nearly a year.”

The CLA board has insisted that the committee was not "disbanded", stating that its "tenure of three years" ended in January to facilitate a review.

A copy of the committee's terms of reference obtained by The Gleaner does not indicate a three-year lifespan but instead specifies that members are appointed for two years.

The CEO's memo disbanding the committee also did not mention a three-year tenure. It said "a review of the terms of reference and construct of the HREC has become necessary" and that "effective 25 January 2024, the tenure of the CLA's HREC will come to an end" and "a new delegation will be named in short order".

After the issue went public earlier this month, the CLA announced that the committee would be re-established by October. The CEO has final decision-making authority.

Meanwhile, Hylton has accused the board of contributing to the current situation by failing to adjust the employment status of staff members after the government announced plans to make contract workers permanent.

"This would have provided staff members with the security and protection they needed," he said, pointing to an attrition rate of more than 20 per cent up to 2022.

The Sunday Gleaner reported yesterday that the board has yet to provide a timeline for transitioning staff from contracts to permanent employment, more than a year after it halted the process. CLA had set an internal timeline of June 1, 2023, for the transition to start but the process was stopped with an announcement to staff at a meeting on that date.

"It is difficult to determine a timeline based on the steps that need to be taken and the approval process that will need to be adhered to," the board said last week.

McPherson, a senior director at the National Land Agency and former adviser to Minister Aubyn Hill, was appointed CLA chairman on September 11, 2022. His tenure ends next month.

The CLA is an agency of the Ministry of Industry, Investment and Commerce, led by Senator Hill.

CLA BOARD MEMBERS    

• Christopher McPherson – Chairman
• Moonmattie Devi Seiteram
• Delano Seiveright
• Shullette Cox
• Natwaine Gardener
• Cameil Wilson-Clarke
• Samantha Allen
• Andre Coore
• Madge Ramsay
• Kamau Janai
• Michelle Walker
• Cynthia Lewis Graham
• Barbara Blake-Hannah
• Wayne McLaughlin
• Dr Jacquiline Bisassor-McKenzie

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