{"id":238118,"date":"2025-05-23T07:16:14","date_gmt":"2025-05-23T11:16:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/?p=238118"},"modified":"2025-05-23T07:16:15","modified_gmt":"2025-05-23T11:16:15","slug":"antigua-government-signals-sanctions-for-underperforming-civil-servants","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/antigua-government-signals-sanctions-for-underperforming-civil-servants\/","title":{"rendered":"Antigua Government Signals Sanctions for Underperforming Civil Servants"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Government Signals Sanctions for Underperforming Civil Servants<\/strong><\/p>

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St John\u2019s, Antigua and Barbuda<\/em> \u2014 Public servants who consistently underperform or abuse sick leave entitlements could soon face disciplinary action, including possible termination, as part of the government\u2019s renewed focus on accountability within the public sector.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The issue was a central point of discussion during this week\u2019s Cabinet meeting, which included a special session with permanent secretaries, heads of department, and union representatives. According to Director General of Communications Maurice Merchant, the Prime Minister expressed deep concern over reports of chronic absenteeism and a lack of disciplinary follow-through.<\/p>

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\u201cThere have been instances where individuals have been absent for close to 100 days in a single year,\u201d Merchant revealed during Thursday\u2019s post-Cabinet media briefing. \u201cThe Prime Minister made it clear that this cannot continue and that public service must be reformed to reflect the standards of the private sector.\u201d<\/p>

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The Cabinet underscored the importance of fostering a culture of performance and accountability, with Merchant noting that the government aims to eliminate the perception that public sector jobs are immune to consequences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Heads of department and senior officials were reminded of their legal authority to act against persistent non-performance and were urged to resist political interference or perceived protections.<\/p>

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An outcome document is being developed as part of an ongoing process to modernise the public sector. The initiative also includes collaboration with the University of the West Indies and Harvard University to develop mandatory training modules in public administration, which may become a requirement for promotion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Officials say the reforms are aimed at ensuring better service delivery to the public and maintaining morale among high-performing civil servants.<\/p>

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Government Signals Sanctions for Underperforming Civil Servants St John\u2019s, Antigua and Barbuda \u2014 Public servants who consistently underperform or abuse sick leave entitlements could soon face disciplinary action, including possible termination, as part of the government\u2019s renewed focus on accountability within the public sector. The issue was a central point of discussion during this week\u2019s […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":218114,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-238118","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\nAntigua Government Signals Sanctions for Underperforming Civil Servants - Antigua News Room<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/antigua-government-signals-sanctions-for-underperforming-civil-servants\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Antigua Government Signals Sanctions for Underperforming Civil Servants\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Government Signals Sanctions for Underperforming Civil Servants St John\u2019s, Antigua and Barbuda \u2014 Public servants who consistently underperform or abuse sick leave entitlements could soon face disciplinary action, including possible termination, as part of the government\u2019s renewed focus on accountability within the public sector. 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