Cabinet to pursue feasibility of dress code for public servants

Cheryl Sampson receives the report from Committee chair Akilah Doris on behalf of Minister of Public Service, Dr. Rupert Roopnaraine

Georgetown: Work on a sixteen-month long consultation by a Dress Code Committee established by the Ministry of Public Service today came to an end, and the Cabinet will decide on the recommendations following their perusal.

The report of the unified dress code was handed over to Cheryl Sampson on behalf of Minister of Public Service, Dr. Rupert Roopnaraine at the ministry’s Waterloo Street office.

Permanent Secretary of the ministry, (PS) Reginald Brotherson said the Department of Public Service has always been proactive. He said the department has been charged with the restoration of standards, good conduct and governance. “We are also aware of the challenges within the public service and we have had to be proactive. We follow the “vibes” about what is going on in the country,” he said at the simple ceremony.  Brotherson said the ministry is aiming for a higher trajectory.

A mandate from the Cabinet saw the establishment of the uniform committee which was established in April 2017. The committee sought to determine the feasibility of a dress code for public servants and develop recommendations on an appropriate and unified code. The inquiry adopted a quantitative design using the survey method. It saw the participation of 27 government agencies across Guyana, with 6, 797 questionnaires distributed to the agencies.

According to Chairperson of the committee Akilah Doris, findings from the surveys showed an overwhelming preference for maintaining the existing dress code for public servants. More than 50 percent of the respondents opted for government to finance uniforms for public servants.

She said the committee has considered the responses of the public servants and the various norms relating to professional attire and developed recommendations which have been stated in the report.

The recommendation, she said, takes cognisance of the tropical climate of the Caribbean region and Guyana’s rich cultural diversity.