National Union Calls for Talks amid Concerns Over Government Information Agency Merger

By Ryan Gilkes

The National Union of Public Workers (NUPW) has made an urgent call for talks with the public service and information ministries, saying that the merger of two government information agencies – one with a 66-year track record in getting out the government’s message, the other a six-year-old creation of the Mia Mottley administration – is a source of stress for employees.

The impending merger between the Government Information Service (GIS) and the Public Affairs Department, which is slated for April 1, the start of the government’s new financial year, triggered apparent industrial action by GIS staff when several employees called in sick on Wednesday.

While the majority of GIS staff are unionised, it was not immediately clear who among the workers at the fledgling Public Affairs Department had union representation.

Deputy General Secretary of the NUPW Wayne Walrond told Barbados TODAY: “For quite some time, over several months, staff have been mentally stressed over the cloud of uncertainty which hangs over the GIS [regarding] the proposed merger. We have been hearing a lot about the mergers. They have been just hearing things.”

He said that a pronouncement was made during the Estimates in 2023 that the GIS would be subsumed into the Public Affairs Department, but he expressed concern about the lack of clear communication and consultation regarding the merger.

With just over two months to the deadline, key details remain unclear, the NUPW official said.

“The union has not been engaged in any dialogue. We have not discussed the organisational structure, people do not have a defined job description. What jobs will remain relevant? What new jobs will be created? The staff has also observed that a lot of their [portfolio] has been taken over by [the] Public Affairs [Department],” Walrond said.

“This has created for them a bit of uncertainty and confusion about what is the intention of the Government Information Service. GIS has been there for decades . . . as the public relations arm for the government, receiving numerous awards for their work. Now this department is being marginalised, even to be subsumed into another department that has been recently created, you would expect them to feel hard done by this situation.”

Walrond said the GIS staff had sought clarity from management but answers were not forthcoming. As a result, the union plans to write to the Ministry of the Civil Service for urgent discussions on the merger.