PERSONNEL COMMITTEE
INTRODUCTION
Any diocese as a portion of God’s people, which is entrusted to the pastoral care of a Bishop is assisted by personnel to run her day to day activities. Kasese Diocese has several departments and institutions that are served by personnel for the administration of the temporal goods of the church. The recruitment and welfare of the personnel pertains to the one with the direct power of governance over the diocese, that is the bishop. He may however appoint a body to assist him in exercising this duty. The birth of the personnel committee accrues from this need
HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
Since the creation of Kasese Diocese, most of the departments and institutions would recruit their workers independently. The present diocesan personnel committee is the first of the kind since 1989 when Kasese Diocese was created. It is therefore, a new committee that may not be well known by most of the faithful in the Diocese of Kasese
The Diocesan personnel committee is an organ that has been put in place by the Bishop after consultation with presbyterium to handle issues concerning personnel/workers. The personnel committee was inaugurated on the 10th March 2008 to handle the employment of personnel in the different departments and institutions of the Diocese. Since there was lack of a coordinated system of employment and human resource management, there was need for a single organ to handle the recruitment of workers. The existence of many personnel committees at different levels in the different departments and institutions was a set back in management and administration of diocesan property and human resource.
SCOPE
The personnel committee has the job to recruit personnel for the different diocesan departments and institutions and to see to the welfare of the workers
MANDATE
The mandate of the personnel committee comes from the authority of the Bishop who is the sole employer and acts in the person of the Diocese. By letter of appointment, the Bishop delegates the personnel committee to act on his behalf. The committee must also work in close collaboration with the Diocesan Finance Commission headed by the Diocesan Financial Administrator
ROLES AND DUTIES OF THE PERSONNEL COMMITTEE
As clearly stated in the letters of appointment to the committee, the committee has the duty:
To help in recruiting personnel for the different diocesan departments (and institutions) and to see the welfare of the workers
It shall also monitor the performance of the workers in collaboration with the departmental heads
It shall act as a link between the departmental heads and the employing authority (Bishop) in matters concerning personnel
It shall in collaboration with the departmental heads see to the termination/dismissal of the employees who breach the contract of service or any other grave reason that may necessitate termination/dismissal
ACHIEVEMENTS SO FAR
o The committee has held meetings to organize and plan for the formulation of employment policy of the Diocese so as to achieve its scope
o The committee has so far interviewed and recruited workers for CARITAS/SSD SILC project, Kasanga PHC and Kasese Guide Radio
PERSONNEL
There are different categories of diocesan employees. There is a need to distinguish between the workers who will be directly handled by the personnel committee. The following categories are identified as workers of the Diocese
Workers appointed by the Bishop (E.g. Departmental heads and other offices held by clerics)
Religious (Missionary priests, sisters and brothers)
Established and professional staff (e.g. managers, secretaries, accountants)
Seconded staff (e.g. cooks, gatekeepers etc)
Casual laborers (Compound cleaners)
Volunteers
Of all these categories the personnel committee will mainly recruit professional workers, established staff and some posts for the support staff that may need recruitment. For workers at the local level like parishes, the personnel committee will only need information about them such as their numbers and terms of service
It is not the mandate of the personnel committee to recruit and/ or appoint heads of departments and all the other offices that await appointment by the Bishop. Institutions such as schools that are government aided, although catholic founded do not recruit their workers through this committee.
Where necessary the support staff should be recruited locally by the respective departments or institutions
CHALLENGES
As a newly established committee, the personnel committee has not yet designed an employment policy that is uniform to help in the recruitment of the workers for the diocese
There is very little or no information flow from the different departments and institutions. The personnel committee is not yet in possession of the lists of employees and the different posts of work in the various departments
There is still need to specify the roles and duties of the Boards of the various departments and institutions. The role and duties of the boards still conflict with the work of the personnel committee
The policies of some donor organizations who dedicate conditions at times may conflict with the Diocesan employment policy
STRATEGY OF ACTION
There is need to design an employment policy in accordance with the Uganda Employment policy and the code of Canon law. This will help the committee, the departments and institutions to collaborate smoothly without duplication of work and conflict among interest groups. Such a policy will enhance uniformity in the employment system of the Diocese
RECOMMENDATION
All personnel committees at different departments and institutions that fall under the jurisdiction of the personnel committee should cease to exist so that the power to recruit solely remain a competence of the personnel committee
All departments and institutions should furnish the personnel committee with date concerning all workers/employees and volunteers. This will ease the work of the committee in recruiting and taking action that may necessitate the intervention of the personnel committee. In case there is a vacant post, job description should be availed to the personnel committee so as to adequately advertise the post
All employees that are not yet formally appointed should be recruited and appointed following the right procedure as early as possible
The term of office (duration) for the personnel committee should be three years. A member should serve a maximum of two terms. However, at least two members of the committee should be retained on the committee for continuity. This implies that, the new chairperson should be appointed from within the committee that has served one term
THE FINANCE AND PLANNING COMMISSION
CHRISTIANS HAVE DIFFERENT GIFTS (Rom.12;6). and they should collaborate in the work of the gospel, each according to his opportunity, ability chrism and ministry(1ST cor.3;10,they should be one so that working to gather for the same end… hey might divot their powers to the blinding up of GOD’s family, the church (adgentes divinity 5 par 28.
There is growing of conviction of human ability and duty to strengthen its mastery over nature and the need to establish a political, social and economic order to the advantage of individuals and society.
The economy is careful management of the resources GOD, the church, in a concreter effort, carries out complex activities concerned with the production, distribution and consumption of goods and services. This presupposes planning as in the words of Jesus: if one of you is planning to build a tower, he sits down first and figures out what it will cost, to see if he has enough money to finish the job, if he does not be able to finish the tower after laying the foundation….[Luke 14:28-29].
The Bishop set up a commission in Kasese graces to spear head the management of the Diocesan resources, finances, income and expenditure. This is the finance and planning commission which oversees all financial transactions, various constructions, ensures easy locomotion, secures and utilizes Diocesan land and organizes human resources for various activates in the Diocese.
ECONOMIC ACTIVITIES IN THE DIOCESE OF KASESE
The location of the Diocese of Kasese graces it with the good and fertile soils of the Rwenzori. The majority of the Christians in the parishes of Kasanga, Hima, Kyalhumba, Ibanda, Kasese Nsenyi and engaged in subsistence agriculture with coffee and cotton as the main cash crops. Other crops grown are beans other crops grown are maize, beans, cassava, bananas and other cereal crops and legumes. Animal forming of mainly cattle and goats is done on a quite low scale.
Mining of salt and fishing are also picking interest in trade (the buying and selling of goods). They are facilitated by macro loans from various micro finance institutions .the location of the diocese at the border with the democratic republic of Congo has made cross-border trade a booming venture.
A few people are involved in tree-planting as a result of the government campaign to conserve the environment and the growing rate of constrictions.
SOURCE OF REVENUE
Although the bible is not clear on the sources of income for Jesus treasury, it is clear that Jesus had a treasury, with Judas Iscariot as His treasurer, and that the treasury was not empty.(John.13;27-29). We know, however, the source of Jesus’ source of income was the people as we read in the case of the boy provided two fish and five loaves when Jesus treasury could not provide for the hungry crowed (John 6;7-9). We also read in the acts of the Apostles that the early Christian community provided for the support of the church when they would bring their contribution for the apostles and deacons to handle.( Act 2-44-47).