by DONNA SEALY and TRACY MOORE

HUNDREDS OF PUBLIC WORKERS have rejected Government's proposal on appointing temporary workers to the Public Service.

And sometime today, this and other concerns that the National Union of Public Workers (NUPW) has with the Public Service Bill will be sent to the Ministry of the Civil Service.

President Walter Maloney and general secretary Dennis Clarke told the Press after a near three-hour meeting at the Dalkeith, St Michael headquarters yesterday, that they were not against Government trying to get "about 3 000 workers" appointed, but with the process it wanted to use – going through Parliament.

Part of the resolution passed at the meeting reads: "Be it resolved that this special general meeting calls upon the union by whatever means to resist any action by Government to amend the Constitution which would impact negatively on the Public Service."

Maloney said the trade union was concerned "with the wider implications of suspending the Constitution for expediency".

However, Attorney-General Dale Marshall said yesterday in a telephone interview that the amendment to the Constitution "does nothing more than to permit us to make these appointments by statute".

"What we are proposing to do as part of the Public Service Bill is to appoint, through the use of legislation, categories of public officers.

"The purpose of this is to bring security of tenure and stability to [public workers] as they may have worked in the Public Service for many years but without the benefit of having any clear idea as to their appointment," he said.

Marshall explained that the new process would not be "very lengthy and tiring" hence the need for the amendment to the Constitution.

"This is not a political debate. Everybody is in agreement that this is a desirable thing to do," he reasoned.

Clarke explained there were two methods largely used to appoint public workers.

"Sections 12 and 13 of the Public Service Regulations set out the methodology for appointments, be it temporary or permanent, and then Section 94 of the Constitution also gives the Governor-General the authority to make good those recommendations to make the appointments.

"We would want to see at least the Governor-General making those appointments. We believe that the establishment of the posts don't have to be within the Constitution. We believe that the Civil Establishment Order is there and that can be used to establish the posts," Clarke said.

The union, like Government, is anxious to have the appointments and believes that with the "best intention" [they] can be made in six months.

A temporary worker said she was looking forward to her appointment now that she understood where the union was coming from, "but there is a right way to do this thing and I prepared to wait than just say speed up and get the appointment."

The bill will not be debated today in Parliament.