Toxic tensions

The Office of the Prime Minister is reportedly close to completing an auditor’s verification report triggered by a major fallout at Jamaica Post between CEO and Postmaster General Lincoln Allen and several staff members, including senior managers.

The fallout is being blamed for what has been labelled a “toxic work environment” that is threatening to become explosive.

Jamaica Post is made up of the Post and Telecommunications Department (PTD) and the Postal Corporation of Jamaica (PCOJ). The PTD is a central government entity while the PCOJ is a public company. They are governed by the Financial Administration and Audit Act and the Public Bodies Act.

The differences, which largely exist at the PTD, have resulted in an anonymous letter being written to several parliamentary bodies and state agencies, including the Integrity Commission, the Auditor General’s Department and the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM), casting serious aspersions on Allen and his leadership.

The OPM, which assumed oversight of the postal service in June 2023, responded to the letter sent via proton mail in December 2023, assigning an auditor to Jamaica Post between February and April for a “verification” exercise.

OPERATIONAL INEFFICIENCIES

Gleaner sources close to the process have confirmed that the report is in its final stage and has highlighted, among other things, operational inefficiencies based on the account of staff.

Claims of inefficient hiring practices, duplication of organisational units, the resignation of key employees, and mismanagement of resources were reported to the OPM auditor, but Allen, in responding to questions from The Gleaner, has dismissed many of those claims as “false”.

“It is really bad. It feels like every day you are walking on pins and needles. Every day it’s a quarrel; every day it’s a battle,” one of five employees who spoke to The Gleaner last month said.

“Over the last four years, he has, basically, run the entity into a tailspin by his decision making, and I doubt if it can recover. He has ostracised the senior management ... . I have worked at several [agencies]. I have never seen anything like this,” the employee said.

“My concern arises from the fact that I am coming under extreme pressures to breach aspects of the acts ... . I am constantly being targeted,” another employee claimed, noting that a “toxic environment” exists because of this.

The employee said the breach has to do with the procurement process and that challenges faced have been reported to unions and the Office of the Services Commission but that nothing has been done.

“We’re not seeing anything taking place. In the meanwhile, our organisation is deteriorating,” the employee said.

Another employee told The Gleaner that under Allen’s stewardship, which began in March 2021, dozens of employees have resigned. Several opted for lateral moves, The Gleaner was told.

Allen has also been accused of restructuring or adding positions which, The Gleaner was told, on occasions runs contrary to instructions issued by the parent ministry. This is said to negatively impact the wage bill.

NO CORPORATE PLAN

Additionally, the employee said the entity is operating without a corporate plan, which remains in a draft state. The employee said the last one was rated at 34 per cent by the ministry.

“My question would be, who at the ministry, at the Office of the Prime Minister, is tracking this corporate plan and this operational plan because it is not signed off on so you can assess not just his performance but the department’s performance over the period to see exactly where we’re going?” the employee asked.

“We were told that there should be no adjustment to the structure of the entity because it is currently under review. But there are at least six instances where persons’ employment statuses have been altered ... . What is strange and alarming is that these things are done, and they are done at the expense of the Government,” the employee said.

The employee said colleagues are often anxious about their status and when they might be altered.

“What are the authorities doing about these things? We used to be at MSETT (Ministry of Science, Energy, Telecommunications and Transport). Now we’re at the Office of the Prime Minister. The strategic plan, which is supposed to be a five-year plan, is altered every year significantly ... ,” the employee said.

The Gleaner was told that one of the main components of Jamaica Post’s strategic plan was counter-automation, which would automate the entity’s processes.

“The first period the evaluation was done, it was realised that counter-automation never happened, and so we got a low grade. The person who was doing the strategic plan was instructed, essentially, to remove that so as to reduce the possibility of getting a low grade. So it has been removed, the focus has changed, and now nobody knows what is happening.

“So when Dr [Dana] Morris Dixon is supposed to be the minister that is responsible for transformation and digitisation – the engine that is supposed to transform the post office – which is digital transformation, the core activity, which is counter-automation has, essentially, been removed or adjusted. The focus is something totally different now,” the employee said.

The Gleaner contacted Allen four weeks ago for responses to the allegations made by the employees against him.

In a 122-page emailed response to questions sent, he said since his appointment as postmaster general, he has been fully committed to transforming the PTD through modernisation, strategic planning, and fostering a culture of transparency and collaboration.

He said his leadership has focused on addressing “long-standing systemic issues that have hindered the department’s growth and efficiency”, many of which he said predate his tenure.

Allen said he has overseen infrastructure upgrades and implemented new technologies, creating opportunities for staff development.

He said every decision has been aimed at strengthening the PTD’s capacity to serve the public more effectively.

“However, despite the significant progress made, several allegations have emerged that misrepresent both my leadership style and the nature of the changes being implemented. These claims, often rooted in misunderstandings or deliberate misinterpretations, seek to undermine the positive strides the organisation has taken under my leadership.

“Moreover, some of these allegations appear to stem from individuals within the department ... who resist these changes not because they believe the reforms are misguided, but because they are motivated by self-interest, fear of accountability, or a desire to maintain the status quo that enables irregular practices,” he said.

“It is also important to note that some of these individuals have faced disciplinary actions or investigations for breaches of policies, which likely fuel their opposition. It is my view that their intent is not to protect the welfare of the Post and Telecommunications Department, but rather to undermine the ongoing reform process, fearing that further modernisation will hold them accountable for their areas of responsibility,” he added.

He rebuffed the allegations, calling them “false claims”, while noting that numerous initiatives under his leadership have brought about tangible improvements.

He said these initiatives have demonstrated that his leadership has been in “full compliance with government policies and focused on the long-term success of the organisation”.

Further, he said claims that the work environment became toxic under his leadership are unsubstantiated and failed to acknowledge the “deep-rooted, systemic issues” that existed long before his tenure. He said no formal complaints or reports of a toxic work environment have been submitted through official channels.

Allen said claims that he has pressured employees to breach procurement processes are “entirely false” and lack factual basis. He said he has taken numerous steps to strengthen procurement controls within the PTD and the PCOJ, including the establishment of key committees and standard operating procedures that ensure compliance with regulation.

On the matter of restructuring areas ofthe PTD against the directive of the MSETT, Allen said he is “unaware” of any formal instruction. He said discussions related to the restructuring of the PTD were conducted transparently and collaboratively with the full engagement of the staff in affected areas. Further, he said the requisite approvals came from the Ministry of Finance and the Public Service.

At the same time, he confirmed that there have been 92 resignations since his tenure began.

He also said the claim that the counter-automation system was removed from the strategic plan to boost performance score is “entirely baseless”. He said the system remains a key output of the PTD’s Strategic Business Plan for 2024-2028.

kimone.francis@gleanerjm.com