The role of the Establishment Division is to provide the conditions of service that will satisfy the needs of the public sector worker and promote the Government as a good employer.

The Division works to ensure that:

• Government recruits and retains qualified staff.
• Remuneration packages are compatible with statutory authority and internal and external relativities are maintained.
• Administration of personnel standards is consistent and objective.
• Work disruption through industrial disputes is reduced.
• Quality of service delivered to clients is consistent with minimum acceptable standards.

The following were the major accomplishments for FY 1997/98:

• Completed first phase of computerising pensions.
• Processed 1,300 pension cases.
• Processed 72 widows and dependants cases.
• Finalised amendments to the Pensions Act and the Pensions (Parochial Officers) Act for enhanced benefits.
• Prepared draft amendments, in collaboration with the Chief Parliamentary Counsel, to the following Pensions Legislations for enhanced benefits:

- Pensions (Teachers) Act

- Constabulary Force Act

- Pensions (Prime Minister) Act

• Obtained Cabinet approval for other amendments to pensions legislation including benefits for dependants of officers/employees killed on duty.
• Increased benefits to pensioners.
• Published the Civil Service Establishment (General) (No. 2) Order, 1997.
• Conducted a wage bill survey for all establishment, temporary and contract posts on Government's budget.
• Updated 50% of data base for established posts in statutory bodies.
• Reconciled lapses from posts audit.
• Conducted survey of secretarial groups.
• Started audit of all temporary posts in all ministries and departments.
• Designed research projects for temporary posts in Central Government and non-teaching staff in all schools, colleges and the University of Technology.
• Completed renovation of Ministry of Environment and Housing's Canteen/Supply Centre.
• Acquired two buses from the Ministry of Education, Youth and Culture to add to the fleet of staff buses.
• Presented long service awards to 531 Civil Servants with more than twenty-five years of service.
• Processed and approved applications for motor vehicle and miscellaneous loans amounting to $30m and $4m, respectively.
• Increased benefits to Government pensioners under the Government Pensioners Administration Services Only (GPASO) Health Scheme.
• Handed over lands in St. Catherine, Trelawny and St. Thomas to the Jamaica Civil Service Association and the Jamaica Confederation of Trade Unions for use in developing housing for Public Servants.
• Implemented new pay plans for cashiers, paralegals, postal employees, secretaries, clerical workers, telephone operators and correctional officers.
• Completed job evaluation exercises for new pay plans for six parastatals.
• Developed pay matrix to rationalize pay levels related to the market.
• Determined emoluments proposals for twenty parastatals.
• Revised criteria for the employment of contract officers.
• Developed framework for the 1998/2000 wages policy.
• Facilitated Health Sector Pay Review Committee and Civil Service Job Evaluation Study being conducted by Coopers and Lybrand.
• Provided technical support/advice for the 1996/98 public sector wage negotiations.
• Settled thirty-nine Heads of Agreement for Central and Local Government groups for the 1996/98 contract period.
• Settled twenty-seven of thirty-one claims received from parastatals.

During FY 1998/99 the Division will:

• Finalise computerisation of the Family Benefits and Provident Fund sections of the Pensions Branch.
• Finalise outstanding amendments to Pensions Legislations.
• Improve the delivery of service to pensioners.
• Reduce the backlog of pension cases.
• Publish Civil Service Establishment (Principal) Act.
• Publish Civil Service Establishment (Amendment) Act.
• Conduct wage bill survey for FY 1997/98.
• Maintain computerised database of Civil Service Establishment.
• Update database of established posts in Local Government and statutory bodies.
• Provide statistical data of Public Service Establishment Unit activities.
• Establish database for all temporary positions in Central Government.
• Acquire three additional staff buses.
• Present long service awards to 475 Civil Servants in August 1998 and another 400 later in the fiscal year.
• Revise, print and distribute the Staff Orders.
• Implement a $4m semi-revolving training fund for Civil Servants.
• Manage a loan scheme for Civil Servants to acquire computers.
• Implement the Performance Pay Policy.
• Complete the exercise to bring Civil Service salaries to 60-80% of average market rates in accordance with the job evaluation being conducted by Coopers and Lybrand.
• Implement new pay proposals for approximately twenty parastatals.
• Develop competitive and equitable pay structures using regular salary and allowances survey.
• Finalise the rationalisation of allowances.
• Determine the true costs for all elements in the wage bill.
• Settle with 90% of the bargaining units that have submitted claims for the 1998/2000 contact period.
• Seek to further reduce the number of bargaining units.
• Develop staff through training.
• Conduct seminar to improve cooperation and collaboration with trade unions and associations.

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