The Cayman Islands Civil Service is committed to “Making the Lives of Those We Serve Better”.  While there are vivid examples of how the civil service routinely delivers against this commitment, I am sorry that our waste collection team has failed to reliably and effectively manage waste collection.

As the Deputy Governor and Head of the Civil Service I offer no excuses, only a firm commitment that the civil service is focused on correcting the failure and restoring the public’s confidence.

To this end, I have met with the dedicated teams within the Ministry of Health and Department of Environmental Health, to devise a way forward. During the weekend the DEH team has brought current the weekly waste collection for residential routes.

To help the team move toward a more stable footing, the following steps have been taken:

• Addressing HR Concerns:

o   Restored accountability by disciplining persons who are letting themselves, their colleagues and our community down by non-attendance and other poor performance,

o   Filled mission-critical vacancies through emergency appointments,

o   Redeployed management support to improve the department’s pace and agility,

• Working Across Silos:

o   Engaged the private sector to plug gaps when equipment failures trigger unscheduled maintenance,

o   Worked intimately with the Department of Vehicle and Equipment Services to provide daily troubleshooting  of the aged fleet and to effect the recommended vehicle replacement strategy for equipment whose service costs now exceed the vehicle’s lifetime value, and

• Restoring Financial Management:

o   Managed scheduling to avoid unsustainable and exorbitant overtime claims

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