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Govt cautioned vs dislocation of employees
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Posted on Feb 25 2006
Saipan Chamber of Commerce president Charles V. Cepeda cautioned the Fitial administration yesterday on its workforce reduction plan, saying the business community would be unable to accommodate displaced employees at this time of economic slump.
Cepeda raised this during Friday’s press briefing at the Governor’s Office.
He said that, while the business group supports the downsizing within the government, it has to be done prudently.
“We are concerned as to where they [displaced employees] are going. We want to be careful with that because we may not be able to accommodate them,” said Cepeda.
In response, Fitial said his administration had discussed the issue of local employment with both the chamber and the Workforce Investment Agency.
“Before you became the president of the chamber,” Fitial addressed Cepeda, smiling, “we had a meeting with Alex Sablan and WIA. …Our goal is to train people to go into the private sector, [not the other way around],” he said.
Cepeda then asked what the administration is doing for current employees that would be displaced from the government.
The governor said personnel training is being conducted by the Office of Personnel Management.
“We have a full-time trainer at OPM since most of our workforce are not trained,” he said.
Fitial said OPM will start a desk audit government-wide to ensure that every personnel is actually performing work.
“Everybody should have something to do. There are cases where three, four, five people are doing the work of one person,” he said.
Cepeda’s concern on the displacement of government workers came even as the newly created Department of Public Lands is implementing a workforce reduction program.
“My concern is not just one agency. It’s government-wide. If it happens, these people have no choice but go to the private sector,” Cepeda said.
