(CNS): After spending CI$56,522 on a Christmas party in 2022, which the Office of the Auditor General pointed out was more than eight times the recommended allowance for public sector holiday celebrations, the Port Authority of the Cayman Islands splurged again in 2023, according to its financial report for that year.
However, PACI Board Chair Cline Glidden defended spending more than many Caymanians earn in a year on a single event, explaining that some staff work night shifts away from their families in dangerous working conditions.
As the Public Accounts Committee opened its hearing on the OAG’s latest general report about the troubling state of the government’s financial accounts, they focused on some of the concerns raised in the report relating to value for money or the lack of it.
Although 2023 was the third consecutive year that the port authority spent considerably more than the recommended $40 per person of public cash on Christmas parties, Glidden dismissed concerns about value for money when questioned by PAC member Barbara Conolly. He said the event was also an appreciation and awards night and that spouses of staff members were invited, largely because many of them miss out on family time due to their long hours.
“In light of the fact that the hardworking staff of the port authority, under difficult conditions, had done such a good job, we felt there should be some recognition given to them that was reflective of that hard work,” Glidden said. He added that because port staff were away from their families for an extended period of time, “we wanted to have a function that would allow their families to come”.
He said it gave family members an opportunity to meet the people that their loved ones spend so much time with, and he didn’t think the recommended allowance was “sufficient” for what he felt was pragmatic or practical for PACI staff. He also argued that the authority didn’t break the law because it was approved by the board.
“While it was deemed excessive… we felt comfortable we were not breaking laws, and while it was a recommendation, it was a recommendation that we didn’t think accepting would be in the interests of the port authority,” he said, dismissing the concerns and indicating that it might happen again if the port was meeting its expenses because of the work of its staff.
Glidden was unable to say how much was spent on the Christmas 2024 celebrations but said he would pass the information on to PAC.
PAC members also heard about a number of other issues relating to staff and contracts impacting PACI, but both Glidden and Port Director Paul Hurlston said they were being addressed. However, Hurlston said it had proved challenging to align contracts because of the changing shift patterns and because people working the night shift are paid time and a half compared to the day shift, and some are working both types of shifts.
See the OAG report here and PAC proceedings below on CIGTV:
