Public Service Ministry Denies Reports of Mass Firings at Ministry of Youth and Sports

Recently, the Public Service Union (PSU) claimed that over a hundred people at the Ministry of Youth and Sports were at risk of losing their jobs.  Fast forward today, and the Ministry of Public Service is yet to receive any such information. Earlier this month, the union alleged the ministry had intent to cut staff at the Department of Youth Services (DYS) and the National Sports Council. However, while the ministry, now led by Minister Anthony Mahler, stated that it was looking at ways to improve the efficiency of the departments, there was no plan to downsize staff. Minister of Public Henry Charles-Usher recently was asked about the reports and denied knowledge of any mass firings. 

Henry Charles Usher, Minister of Public Service and Governance and NEMO: “We have not received anything from the Ministry of Youth in regards to the Department of Youth Service or any of the programs that the Department of Youth Service carries out. I think it’s an exercise that the Minister and his team and the Minister of State as well are looking at. They’re going and they’re doing the rounds, just like I am with the new portfolios that I’ve been assigned to look at making it as efficient and effective as possible. And it’s something that is done at any point whenever you take over a new department.  So when that request comes to us, then it will be reviewed by the  Human Resource Management Department in the Ministry of Public Service and then a decision will be made at the commission level.”

Minister of State for Youth and Sport Devin Daily had also denied some of the PSU’s claims.