§5B-2-7 Staff reorganization.
§5B-2-7. Staff reorganization.
It is the intention of the Legislature that research and support staff for the council and for professional economic development staff, including the director of the West Virginia development office and economic development representatives, be drawn, where possible, in the reorganization developed by the council, from qualified employees employed within the governor's office of community and industrial development on the first day of February, one thousand nine hundred ninety-two.
The director, pursuant to the reorganization plan as approved by the council, may eliminate or consolidate positions, and name a person to fill more than one position; delegate, assign, transfer or combine responsibilities or duties to or among employees; and reorganize internal functions or operations.
Except as provided in section five of this article, nothing contained in this article shall be construed to abridge the rights of employees within the classified service of the state as provided in sections ten and ten-a, article six, chapter twenty-nine of this code. The layoff and recall rights of employees within the classified service of the state as provided in subsections (5) and (6), section ten, article six, chapter twenty-nine of this code shall be applicable within the agency as a whole: Provided, That the employee shall possess the qualifications established for the job class. The duration of recall rights provided in this section shall be limited to two years or the length of tenure, whichever is less.
The department of commerce, labor and environmental resources, the public employees retirement system and the public employees insurance agency shall work with all employees whose jobs are terminated as a result of the reorganization of the West Virginia development office as provided for in this article in order to recommend benefits, services, training, an interagency employment transfer or other employment. The director of the West Virginia development office and directors of all other state agencies shall use best efforts to employ qualified employees who were employed in positions directly affected by the reorganization: Provided, That notwithstanding any other provision of the code to the contrary, in filling vacancies at other state agencies, the directors of such agencies shall, for a period of twenty-four months or the length of tenure, whichever is less, after the effective date of this article, give preference over all but existing employees to those qualified employees whose jobs were terminated as a result of the reorganization: Provided, however, That such preference shall not supersede those employees with recall rights in other state agencies. The director of the West Virginia development office shall provide to the division of personnel a list of those employees directly affected by the reorganization.