The Trinidad and Tobago Bureau of Standards (TTBS) is facing staffing challenges with 44 of its 212 positions currently vacant.
This was disclosed during a meeting of the Joint Select Committee on Local Authorities, Service Commissions, and Statutory Authorities in Parliament on Wednesday.
Joint Select Committee Member, Jayanti Lutchmedial-Ramdial, asked whether contract employment could be an option at the Trinidad and Tobago Bureau of Standards, and whether new positions were being created.
“As a Statutory Authority would there be any room for you all to hire contract staff to fill some of the vacancies that presently exist because I think a 20% vacancy level at your administrative technical level is quite a bit. Is it possible to fill those positions with contract staff whilst waiting on approval from CPO to hire persons in positions and so on and then, on the CPO point, is that you’re trying to create new positions that have to go to CPO for approval?”
In response, TTBS Executive Director, Jose E. Trejo, said while the Bureau has primarily relied on contract positions for recruitment, there are concerns about whether the staffing level meets the institution’s needs.
“I can’t tell you definitively, or put a finger on it to see that the organisation has the right amount of staffing. It may be above ground or below ground, we don’t know it. One of the things that we’re trying to do in terms of the future of the Bureau is to conduct a manpower exercise, which will give us a fair understanding of the positions that we truly need.”
He said the Bureau is re-evaluating its organisational structure in response to evolving market demands.
“TTBS is a 50 year old institution, the demands of the market has changed since its inception. So what we’re currently looking at at this at this moment, is to look at the structure in terms of of its optimality.”
Mr. Trejo said the review is a critical step toward ensuring that the TTBS remains effective in fulfilling its mandate in a changing environment.