UNIONS REPRESENTING workers at the Jamaica Urban Transit Company (JUTC) say the root of the woes at the state-owned bus company is incompetent and weak management.
The University and Allied Workers Union (UAWU) and the Union of Clerical Administra-tive and Supervisory Employees (UCASE) argue that the management team is bloated and, therefore, hinders the efficient operation of the company. This, they say, has resulted in creeping financial problems.
In fact, the unions insist the proposed staff reductions at the company should begin at the top.
"The lay-offs must not only affect workers but managers who are unsuited or lack professionalism," said UAWU president, Professor Trevor Munroe.
The leadership of the company appears to have taken this into account and have proposed that some 79 managers be included among those to be laid off.
Danny Roberts, vice-president of UCASE, is an unrepentant critic of the company's management team. "The management on the whole is weak," he says.
Poor discipline among some workers and lack of proper bus scheduling are only two of the areas which he suggested were attributable to the lack of strong leadership of the company.
Mr. Roberts has gone on record calling for a management audit of the company. In fact, the UCASE vice-president has gone so far as to call for the Auditor-General to come in and do a comprehensive audit of the company's operations.
The company has not said whether it is looking in this direction. However, last year managers of the company were subjected to psychometric testing to determine their suitability for the job.
Professor Munroe said Fe-bruary 28 been has set as the deadline for the results of the test to be acted on. The results will determine which managers will be retained and which ones will go.
Since its inception, the JUTC has faced criticism of inefficient management. Over the past four years, the company has seen several management shake-ups.
One of the greatest causalities was Dennis Wheatley, who was removed as managing director of the company three years ago following a management review. The review was ordered by then Transport and Work Minister, Dr. Peter Phillips.
Dr. Phillips, at the time, made public his dissatisfaction with the operations of the JUTC, noting there were continuing problems with scheduling, manpower management and collection of fares.
Since then, there have been numerous other changes both at the management and board levels.
Two of three vice-presidents of the JUTC quit at the end of last year amid a management review of operations there. Dr. Alton Fletcher, vice-president of human resources, and John Campbell, vice-president of engineering services, left the company but the JUTC said they were not forced out.
