Mona Mussard, manager of the examination and analysis unit, andcustoms officer Winsa Poolhave been rewarded for clocking 40 years of service with the Seychelles Revenue Commission.
They were among 52Seychelles Revenue Commission(SRC) staff who were honoured for their long service, dedication, commitment, and loyalty of service to the commission,in a ceremony held at the Seychelles Trading Company (STC) conference room, last Friday
Present were Vice-President Ahmed Afif;secretary of state in the Ministry of Finance, National Planning and Trade,Patrick Payet; principal secretary for trade division Ronald Cafrine, SRC commissioner general Veronique Herminie, board members and members of SRC’s executive management.
The awards ceremonywas to show gratitude and appreciation to employees who have worked for 15, 20, 25, 30, 35 and 40 years respectively in taxation and customs division, and support services. All awardees received a certificate and token of appreciation.
Both Mrs Mussard and Mrs Pool said determination, perseverance and good working relation with their colleagues contributed for them working for SRC for so long. It was Vice-President Afif who presented them with their certificates and tokens of appreciation.
“I joined the then taxation division right after leaving school. It was my first job and I got to appreciate and love my work and the place despite the ups and downs. Thanks to perseverance, determination and patience, I’veworked for SRC until today and I am very happy I made the choice to continue working,” Mrs Mussard said.
“Aside from determination and perseverance, I am somebody who likes to work. I love my job very much and this is the reason also why I am still around,”Mrs Pool said.
Apart from Mrs Mussard and Mrs Pool reaching the 40-year milestone, out of the 372 workers employed by SRC, five clocked 35 years of service, and another five have worked for 30 years. Ten (10) of them have clocked 25 years of service, 15have reached 20 years, and 17 got 15 years certificates.
During the ceremony, Ryan Louise was crowned employee of the year 2021. The 26-year-old from the enforcement department performed well in his duties and displayed exemplary aptitude towards his work and peers.
He was chosen among 11 nominees for the award and received a trophy, a cash prize of R10,000, a basket of goodies, a certificate and letter of award.
“I am very happy and appreciate the accomplishment. It shows that if you work hard you will be rewarded. Considering my age, I think I have made the youths of Seychelles proud today.Therefore, I call on them and all workers to persevere in times of difficulty, to never quit and to take control of your emotions. I am sureyou will achieve your objective,” Ryan said.
In his address for the occasion, Vice-President Afifcongratulated the awardees on their achievements, adding that the recognitionawards by SRCwill surely help to boost the morale and productivity of staff, but also help to attract, nurture and retain good talents.
“You are a shining example for other public institutions to follow. It is indeed an encouraging recognition of the RSC staff and a clear endorsement of their valuable contributions towards the organisation,” VP Afif said.
He stated that Covid-19has brought many changes and challenges, forcing employees, including those of SRC, to keep pace with the changes and challenges through updating their skills and even taking on additional roles. He called on individuals to take ownership and invest in their own continuous professional development to build up their professional skills.
“Aswe work towards this new environment, I encourage all of us to draw inspiration from today’s awards winners who have shown passion for their work, the continuous pursuit of excellence, and the willingness to adapt and prepare for change. These are evergreen traits that will stand us in good stead, regardless of what challenges await us in the future,” said VP Afif who commended the SRC employees for playing a key role in collecting revenue, for promoting trade facilitation and for ensuring that our borders are protected from movement of illicit goods and trafficking in persons.
Earlier in his opening remarks, the chairman of the SRC board, Chrystold Chettyrevealed that plans are underway for the construction of a new SRC building to be completed in two years. He stated that professional development of staff has been high on the SRC agenda and now with the result based management framework in place, importance will be given to the development of human resource.
In her vote of thanks, commissioner general Herminie thanked the staff for their concerted efforts to the success of SRC.
The SRC staff choir performed during the ceremony.
Source: Seychelles Nation