The Public Services Commission - it's a constitutionally enshrined body responsible for the general oversight and regulation of the public service, from hirings and firings, to transfers of public officers, to promotions, to appointments, to disciplinary hearings - and a whole lot more, the PSC has broad and far ranging powers.
But members of the current PSC was appointed by the previous government, and it seems that has been a source of annoyance for the Briceno administration.
Relations between the commission and the the new ministry have broken down completely, and the commission has now written to the Governor General - as head of state - asking for his learned attention to the impasse.
A letter signed by 5 members of the commission tells the governor general that it has not been able to carry out its work since November 5th.
In December, they say the Minister of the Public Service, Henry Usher and his CEO called a meeting with the members of the commission and requested that they tender their resignations, quote, "for unspecified reasons". They declined citing the Constitutional provisions.
They write to the GG, quote, "we commissioner believe that our refusal to resign or to be removed without cause except on constitutionally determined grounds has resulted int he top management of the ministry...instructing the secretariat to cease communications with and (discontinue related administrative work off the commission," end quote.
So, it's clear that they won't resign and the government also appears unwilling to budge. It's a stalemate with constitutional implications, and while they wait to see who blinks first, the work of the commission remains frozen.
