RESIGNATION WOE

The Ministry of Women, Children and Social Protection is on a bid to find out why staff members continuously exit the ministry.

Ministry’s permanent secretary Eseta Nadakuitavuki said a “vicious cycle” existed in the ministry where they recruit on one side, while others exited on the other.

Ms Nadakuitavuki led a team from the three departments within the ministry making submissions to the parliamentary Public Accounts Committee yesterday.

She told the committee that the ministry had filled a lot of vacant positions, but there was a challenge of retaining them.

“There are a lot of resignations and dismissals as well,” Ms Nadakuitavuki said.

“We are recruiting on one end and they are exiting on another end. I call it a vicious cycle,” she said.

“We are working with the team to find out retention programmes or to come up with an attractive package or environment. We are working with the team to introduce an exit interview strategy as well to find out why they are really leaving.

“If they are leaving for greener pastures, we can’t do so much. If they are leaving for better pay, we cannot stop them.

“But if they are leaving us because we have a work culture that is not conducive to them, then that is a problem that I will address internally to improve. “

Ministry’s head of Admin and Finance Emi Bainimarama told the committee that there were 47 vacant positions that were filled through acting and temporary appointments.

“We have 19 absolute vacant positions – meaning they are vacant and not filled,” Mrs Bainimarama said.

“We have more than 400 staff members in the ministry,” she said.

“We have a recruitment plan for the positions that we have to fill in those positions.”

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