Nicholas
McPerse Thompson, Staff Reporter
MORE than 100 staff members of the Jamaica Customs Department who were unsuccessful in their bid for positions within the modernised agency have been referred to the Services Commission for redeployment or for retirement.
So far, 127 positions at the supervisory level and above have been filled and 430 candidates are undergoing psychometric testing at the senior customs officer and customs officer levels, having completed interviews and written exercises for recruitment.
All the Customs Depart-ment employees are required to reapply for positions within the agency as part of the modernisation programme.
According to a release from the Customs Department, the recruitment process has been slated to be completed on June 30, but could be extended for another week or two.
The release said a key component of the modernisation is the development of human resources, with the aim of revitalising the workforce, reviewing business processes and automation.
"The modernised Jamaica Customs is seeking to recruit and retain staff who are efficient, results-oriented, service-oriented, add value to the organisation and see the need for a positive change in the organisation's operations and culture," the release said.
The selection process has three components - an interview, a psychometric assessment and a written exercise. Selection of candidates is based on an evaluation of the various components and a determination of the general suitability of the candidates based on the psychometric profile.
Transparent selection process
According to the release, in order to ensure an objective and transparent selection process, there are interview panels, chaired by representatives of the Office of the Services Commission and comprising senior staff from the Customs Department, the Ministry of Finance and Planning, Office of the Director-General of Tax Administration and, where applicable, persons with technical experience from either the public or private sector.
In an effort to prepare staff for interviews and the possibility of separation, the Customs Department said, it has initiated a series of information and counselling sessions. Staff Counsellors from the Public Sector Employee Assistance Programme have held group sessions in various units of Customs and are readily available to individual staff at their request.
The Customs Department said "all successful or unsuccessful candidates are given an opportunity to discuss their overall performance. While they will not be given scores, a general report is discussed with the candidate."
Among the systems already implemented under the modernisation project are: a pre-arrival processing system, a fast-track entry processing system, and the GATT Valuation Agreement.
Under the pre-arrival processing system, importers are able to submit their entries and pay duties before the vessel in question arrives in Jamaica, thus speeding up release of goods once they have been landed.
In an effort to further facilitate trade, the Jamaica Customs Department also introduced a fast-track system. Customs Brokers who maintain a maximum of five per cent error free entries qualify to use this system, which allows for speedy processing of their entries within one to two hours. There has been a more than 200 per cent increase in the number of brokers eligible to use the system since its inception.
The transition to the new GATT Valuation Agreement was a smooth one, the Customs Department said.
"Jamaica Customs has always, despite the reduction in staff and the change in some processes, met and exceeded its budgeted financial targets due to the determination and commitment of the present workforce," the release said.
A steering committee chaired by Clive Nicholas, Director-General of Tax Administration, along with Wayne Jones, president of the Jamaica Civil Service Association, Lazarus Bucknor of the Jamaica Chamber of Commerce, as well as representatives of Fiscal Services Ltd., the Cabinet Office and the Revenue Protection Department, has been overseeing the modernisation process.
According to Customs, the modernisation programme was also being implemented against the background of some $4 billion that were estimated to have been lost in 1999 because of fraud and corruption and the need to better guard against such shortfalls.
