Staff shake-ups at tourism entities
published:
Sunday | October 19, 2008
Bartlett
A STAFF shake-up has been under way at the Ministry of Tourism and its agencies. Sources tell The Sunday Gleaner that departments of the Tourism Product Development Company (TPDCo) are being restructured following the departure of two senior executives. These include Karen Ford-Warner, who resigned as executive director of TPDCo one year into her three-year contract.
At least one other executive will not have her contract renewed when it expires at the end of the year.
The Sunday Gleaner sources say the contract of a senior executive at TPDCo, who had been working with the organisation for 11 years, was not renewed after it expired in May. The senior employee is the son of a well-known Peoples National Party member.
contract not renewed
Following that executives departure, another senior employee resigned, sources say, after only one year with the company.
There has also been a number of departures at the Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB). Two senior officers in its communications department resigned between December and February. Another did not have his contract renewed after it expired in January.
Basil Smith, the boards former director, did not renew his contract after September, and his deputy, Barrington Payne, resigned.
Minister of Tourism Edmund Bartlett says none of the departures is politically motivated, but adds: I am sure you will appreciate that when you have a new administration, adjustments are made and sometimes the adjustments are self-made.
voluntary departures
Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Tourism, Jennifer Griffith, was also not prepared to say the departures were an attempt to clean house. She says the departures were voluntary. She, however, confirmed that the ministry was taking over the communications functions of both TPDCo and the JTB. The exercise, she says, will make two employees from TPDCo redundant, effective December 31.
Once we redefine the positions and they are approved, anyone can reapply, she says.
But tourism sources, who have requested anonymity, argue that the JTB is an independent board established by an act of Parliament and should not be subjected to the communication dictates of the political directorate in the tourism ministry.
The current Jamaica Labour Party administration has been busy restructuring a number of boards since it came into power a year ago. Only last week, Prime Minister Bruce Golding dismissed the board of the Urban Develop-ment Corporation. Jamaica House has not yet given an explanation for the action.
