Dean Peart
By Vernon Daley, Staff Reporter
STATE MINISTER in the Transport Ministry Dean Peart yesterday admitted that people have been employed to the Jamaica Urban Transit Company (JUTC) because of their connection to the ruling People's National Party (PNP).
The Minister told The Gleaner that up until about four months ago a key party functionary, who was employed in a senior capacity at the company, used her position to influence the employment of persons who supported the PNP.
The State Minister declined to give details about the issue; however, he noted that when it was discovered what was being done by the worker, a decision was taken to remove her from the capacity in which she was employed. The State Minister refused to disclose her name, however, he noted that she is still employed to the JUTC.
To ensure that a similar situation did not happen again, Mr. Peart said, a vice-president of Human Resource was taken on at the company earlier this year to oversee the employment of workers along strict lines of professionalism.
Against this background, the State Minister dismissed allegations of continuing political influence in the staff recruitment policy of the JUTC.
"The policy of JUTC is clear, if the people are qualified employ them," Mr. Peart said. "Any man who is not performing, it could be Jesus recommend him, fire him."
The State Minister, however, admitted that the majority of the over 900 persons employed to the state-owned bus company, are supporters of the PNP. He argued that more PNP people have been employed because the Spanish Town Road and Ashenheim Road bus depots are located in the PNP-controlled constituencies.
He noted that MPs in those constituencies would naturally seek to have their people given priority for employment at the company over persons from other areas. If the depots were in Tivoli, you would expect JLP people to have priority, Mr. Peart said.
Several sources in the transport sector have repeatedly claimed that the JUTC had become a dumping ground for PNP supporters who are given jobs on the basis of recommendation letters from their MPs. The sources further state that some of these supporters have often flouted the company's rules with no consequence.
Danny Roberts, the vice-president of the National Workers Union (NWU) which represents workers at the company, has confirmed that the political affiliations of some workers have influenced their attitude towards their job. "There are some workers who feel that because (they) are PNP they can come to work anytime they want and do whatever they want," Mr. Roberts said.
Speaking to The Gleaner on Wednesday, Mr. Roberts acknowledged that "the overwhelming majority of the JUTC workers are PNP." However, he said those who have exhibited improper work ethics constitute a minority.
At a meeting on Saturday, Mr. Roberts told supervisory employees at the JUTC that they should not condone actions that would undermine the ability of the PNP to get a fourth term in office.
"The NWU is not going to uphold indiscipline. I have already declared my hand to management... I'm going to defend PNP for a fourth term before Minister, man and God," Mr. Roberts was quoted as saying in a news story published in The Gleaner on Monday.
Meanwhile, attempts to get a comment from JUTC president, Sterling Soares about the details of the recruitment policy of the company, proved unsuccessful as he did not return calls made to his office yesterday.
