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Many progressive nations of the world embarked upon public sector reform. Such countries

opted to relinquish upon the strategies of New Public Management which seeks to adopt private

sector practices into the public sector. One core element of this technique was the introduction of

the human resource management (HRM) factor in the public sector. This led to the action of

retraining employees as a consequence. ³Fisher, Schoenfeltt and Shaw (1999) assert HRM as

³involving all management decisions and practices that directly affect or influence the people or

the human resources who work for an organisation´ =


 . However

such a policy in public sector met challenges, this paper examines the whether HRM in the

public sector of Trinidad and Tobago is a challenge or a failure.

 

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ÿissessar 2001 denoted that Trinidad and Tobago in its post independence period was under the

rule of the ÿritish. She further conveys that ³the legacy left by the departing colonials was found

not only in the political system, the Westminster Whitehall model, but was also duplicated in the

administrative systems and institutions as well.´


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In 1982 Trinidad and Tobago experienced a downturn in the economy which, led to a deficit in

the current account balance = ÿetween 1981 and 1983 the total public debt

grew. 
=) denotes that the change occurred comprehensively which was not
internally linked but rather based on the policies of mega lending institutions such as the World

ÿank and The International Monetary Fund.

NPM aimed at redefining the roles of the various arms of the public sector and its major focus

was on the personnel department as it was considered this is the backbone for efficiency and

effectiveness in the public sector. Thus the adoption of the human resource management

practices.

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HRM practices in the public sector seek to dissolve the traditional method of public

administration. Its benefits are numerous. HRM practices in a public sector will make the

organization more flexible keeping in the capitulation of the NPM paradigm. Moreover the new

HRM pursues multiskilling, restructuring the career paths of employees, abolition of seniority for

the foundation of promotion, greater emphasis on equity considerations and the removal of rigid

employment categories have been some of the benefits of shifting from personnel administration

to HRM in the public sector ().

   
  

  

 


The new system of HRM in the public sector of Trinidad and Tobago aimed at

(a)? ³The delegation to line ministries / departments of certain functions / responsibilities

performed by the service commission and the personnel department.

(b)?Restructuring of the service commission and the personnel department to provide them

with the capability of performing an enlarged consultative, advisory, facilitative

monitoring and auditing role with respect to HRM

 =? ºstablishing HRM units in the line agencies to enable the agencies to carry out the

functions delegated´ (  !" #$  $  




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In 1991 Trinidad and Tobago ushered in a new government, who appointed a minister (Gordon

Draper) with the specific responsibility for the public service. His intention was to transform the

HRM system. This transformation of the HRM system took suit under two elements, the first

being the decentralization of the personnel department and the second being detailed changes in

the HRM system (ÿissessar, 2000:161-63).

Sutton (2008) noted that the introduction of HRM in the public sector wrought to weaken the

Personnel Department; also he dispensed that such an action required various ministries to

submit plans for establishing HRM but there was much delay in implementation reducing the

effectiveness of the reform. According to Sutton (2008), ³the decentralization meant a drastic

reduction in the powers and responsibilities of both the PSC and the Personnel Department,

which hitherto had handled these matters between them´.

The second limb of this reform took form in the introduction of performance appraisals (Sutton

2008). Its main objectives were to determine the relative value of positions within the public

service and establish pay rates for them using quantitative methods.

Sutton 2008 claims that aspect of the transformation of the HRM system in the public sector of

Trinidad and Tobago encountered much cultural resistance by the employees of the public sector.

Resistance also presented itself because of the use of private sector consultants to introduce the
program, many of whom were seen as close friends of Draper and supporters of the PNM

(ÿissessar, 2000: 169-71).

³The reform was not a success. Many public servants remained suspicious of the program.

Draper became less and less involved in its implementation as he was given first the post of

Minister of Foreign Affairs.´ (Sutton 2008)

 c 

This paper examined HRM in the public sector from its traditional method to its new reform

system of HRM and then its challenges. It is evident that such a system as argued by the

esteemed writers which were discussed in this paper concluded that HRM in the public service of

Trinidad and Tobago found it to be challenging and it subdued to being a failure. It is without

further ado a conclusion which could be made is that such a dynamic system should be carried

out on careful calculations not in a haphazard and trial and error method, this would only lead to

having ³old wine in new bottles.´


cc


ÿissessar Ann Marie (2000). Colonial Administration, Structural Adjustment and New Public

Management: The Agony of Reform. Trinidad: University of the West Indies

ÿissessar Ann Marie 2001 ³Differential Approaches to Human Resource Management Reform:

in the public services of Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago´.

http://www.entrepreneur.com/tradejournals/article/print/82535727.html

ÿissessar, Ann Marie, Selwyn Ryan ³The Introduction of New Public Management in small

states´ Taken from ³Governance in the Caribbean´

http://gtuwi.tripod.com/ÿissessar.htm

ÿrown Kerry ³Human Resource Management in the Public Sector´

Volume 6 Issue 3 2004 Public Management Review

http://yellowedge.files.wordpress.com/2008/06/brown.pdf

Government of Trinidad and Tobago, 1997, Training Policy for the public service of Trinidad

and Tobago (Ministry of Public Administration and Information).

Sutton Paul, 2008 ³Public Sector Reform in the Commonwealth Caribbean:

A Review of Recent ºxperiences´ Caribbean Paper No.6

www.cigionline.org