The Bermuda Public Service Union has called on Government to include the trade unions in on work with the SAGE Commission.Kevin Grant, President of the BPSU, said yesterday: “There is no time for any heroics. We must work together and engage the valuable skills and experience of all the relevant resources which will empower and motivate civil servants and rebuild confidence within the public sector.”The Spending and Government Efficiency (SAGE) Commission was announced by Government as means of reviewing and proposing changes to Government agencies and structures.Legislation creating the Commission was approved by the House of Assembly last week and Senate yesterday despite the concerns of the Progressive Labour Party who said the body carries too much power with too few checks and balances.They also criticised the make-up of the Commission, who largely come from the private sector.Finance Minister Bob Richards replied that the largely private-sector make-up was deliberate so the members would have the experience working with the “urgency to make the thing work”.Responding, Mr Grant said that any initiative brought forward requires public buy in, and the approach of the Commission must embrace a “more tripartite concept”.“I am sure that the minister realises that there is a wide range of professionally skilled members within the civil service and that we the BPSU are cognisant of the duties and responsibilities of our members, so when reviewing the responsibilities of the SAGE Commission there seems to be some overlap,” he said.“Not only is there the fact that this commission lacks representation from trade unions but there needs to also be utilisation of the expertise within in the civil service to encapsulate a more tripartite initiative.“The public sector is far too often stereotyped as being unproductive and we have very capable individuals throughout the civil service. At the same time trade unions are labelled for always being adversarial in their attempts to resolve issues.“The BPSU have been concerned about the pro business complexion of the SAGE Commission, and although there could be some lessons learned from the private sector, this commission cannot make assessments and recommendations about the civil service as though they are evaluating another private company.”He stated that there have already been several reports conducted to address the same issue as the Commission, and called on the Commission to have meaningful dialogue with resources like the Management Consulting Section of the Cabinet Office.“This is a resource that is quite capable of assisting in finding solutions to issues such as reducing debt, decreasing unemployment rate, and decreasing unsustainable expenditure,” he said.