The reorganization, which according to a grievance complaint is discriminatory to qualified personnel, neither added any new employees nor affected the staff salary, she said.
The reorganization was specifically authorized by law, she added.
A grievance was filed with the Office of the Personnel Management and Labor Secretary Gil M. San Nicolas after the reorganization implemented by Kaipat.
The complainant sought the restoration of all qualified employees to their “employment property rights.”
“These are the same people that also helped recover over thousands of dollars in wage claims. They earned their place over the years. These people should be training the unqualified employees on the job. Employees that will not displace the seniorities but rather assist in the expansion of the employment programs,” the complaint stated.
Kaipat said the department does not comment on pending personnel matters.
However, she said the department has been cross-training its employees in order to deal with shortages in funding and staff.
“We must improve the performance in citizen job placement and the reorganization is directed at that objective,” she said.
Under the current economic conditions, Kaipat said it is important to improve the placement of citizens in good jobs in the commonwealth.
“Extensive planning went into our re-alignment of our resources so that we can do much better in this area. We are determined to go forward with our plan,” she told Variety in an e-mail.
The complaint asked the Office of the Personnel Management to recall the assignments made because of blood relationships which “suggest a looming family dynasty” in the department.
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