SearchArchives for August 2008
26 August, 2008UGANDA
PS to pay own pension as funds dry up
Public Servants in Uganda could be asked to contribute five per cent of their salaries into a pension scheme to assist the Government overcome chronic pension deficits.
The Public Service Ministry has asked Cabinet to approve the plan which it said would help generate funds to meet all Public Servants’ pension demands following retirement.
Commissioner for pensions at the Public Service Ministry, Stephen Kiwanuka Kunsa said the Ministry was considering adopting the same structure as the National Social Security Fund for the first five years.
“I believe this will make life easier for civil servants,” Mr Kiwanuka said.
Presenting a paper on pension management and reforms in the Public Service at a workshop, Mr Kiwanuka said that under the NSSF model, employers with five or more employees deducted five per cent of their workers’ gross monthly pay and topped it up with 10 per cent.
“The workers, or their next of kin, receive the money as a lump-sum when they retire at 55, emigrate, become disabled or die,” he said.
Mr Kiwanuka said if the proposal was passed by the Cabinet, Public Servants would match the private sector, with the Government’s contribution rising from 10 to 17 per cent after five years, taking the Public Servants’ monthly pension contribution to 23 per cent.
At the moment, Public Servants did not contribute any money for their pensions but on retirement, were supposed to receive a monthly stipend from the Government. The system has failed however because the Government has not allocated enough money to support them.
Mr Kiwanuka said annual pension arrears now stood at Shs286 billion, (A$2.81 billion) and represented a “financial black-hole” that was growing every year.
According to the Minister for Public Service, Sezi Mbaguta the arrears had been outstanding for far too long.
Ms Mbaguta said the current Government pension scheme was written in 1946 and was no longer tenable as size of the civil service has grown over the years.
In an effort to reduce the pension burden, she said the Government had allocated Shs113.8 billion (A$1.11 billion) this financial year to meet the payments.
Mr Kiwanuka said the Government also wanted to amend the salary indexation for pensioners - a system by which pension payments for retired Public Servants were increased in line with changes in Government salary structures.
He said there were 37,000 pensioners and another 7,000 survivors currently benefiting under the scheme.
26 August, 2008
UNITED STATES
Presidential hopefuls lay out PS policies
US Presidential hopefuls John McCain and Barak Obama have explained how they would manage the giant Federal Public Service if they won their election later this year.
In a three-part series in the Washington Post, the candidates explained their positions on a number of points in the first two days in turn, then their comments and commitments were analysed by experts.
According to the Post, the end result was almost total disagreement, except that both men agreed that the US Public Service generated a great deal of frustration.
“It's apparent from those comments that Obama has a more positive view of the Federal civil service than McCain,” said the columnist who ran the series, Joe Davidson.
“Sure, McCain gave a nod to the ‘many thousands of dedicated civil servants that are dedicated to making this nation a better place to live . . . who serve their nation admirably and with dedication,’ but when discussing ‘pay for performance,’ the Bush administration's alternative to the General Schedule pay system …. (he said the PS) has mutated into a no-accountability zone, where employment is treated as an entitlement, good performance as an option, and accountability as someone else's problem."
Davidson said Senator McCain’s comments were judged by experts as ‘generally positive rhetoric tinged with the old Reagan attacks on lazy feds.
“McCain's comments are standard fed-bashing."
According to Davidson, Senator Obama did not make his view on pay for performance clear, but did make a strong case for Federal workers when discussing the contracting out of Government work to private companies.
"Obama is concerned by the rising number of Government contractors that are often unaccountable and frequently less efficient than Government workers," a statement from the Obama camp was quoted as saying.
“He also promised to ‘reduce our nation's increasing dependence on private contractors in sensitive or inherently Governmental functions’ and ‘eliminate the Bush administration's ideological bias towards outsourcing of Government services’.”
“With talk like that, it's no wonder the major federal unions have endorsed Obama,” Davidson said.
26 August, 2008
KENYA
Plan to lift PS retirement age opposed
The Kenya Institute of Management (KIM) has forwarded a petition to the Minister for Public Service calling for plans to extend the retirement age of Kenya’s public servants to 60 to be dropped.
The Institute said an across-the-board extension would hurt the creation of employment opportunities, especially for the young because it would allow non-performing Public Servants to stay in their jobs longer.
The Institute suggested instead that the Government retain its high performing workers by extending their contracts rather than by pushing up the retirement age.
“There is need to create employment particularly for the youth and the extension of retirement age is going to impact on this,” the Institute said in the statement.
The Institute’s action was prompted by recommendations of the Public Service Commission that the retiring age for all Public Servants be extended from 55 to 60, a proposal that was gaining favour in Government circles.
Besides allowing the Government to retain its human talent, the extension has also been hailed by pension experts as a solution to the growing civil service pension bill which hit Sh26.1 billion (A$438 million) this year up from Sh15 billion (A$252 million) in 2002.
Analysts say the growing pension bill for retirees was not sustainable but delaying pension payments for five years would slow down the growth of the pension bill that was expected to more than double by 2014.
The Kenyan Public Service is the biggest employer in the country with slightly over 600,000 employees
26 August, 2008
NIGERIA
Jobs plan suffers in recruitment fraud
A bid to place 3000 Nigerians in Public Service jobs looks to have backfired as Ministries and other Agencies have filled them using suspect recruitment processes.
The debacle has prompted the Chairman of the Federal Character Commission, Professor Shuaibu Oba Abdulraheem to threaten the Chief Executives of the recalcitrant Agencies that they could be running contrary to statutory provisions and could face official sanctions.
According to Professor Abdulraheem the FCC had received information that secret recruitments and non-transparent procedures were being used in the Public Service with the mauin offenders being the finance and revenue generating Agencies.
are the major culprits.
Professor Abdulraheem said that one of the organisations recruited over 400 new staff without advertising in any media.
He said that while the staff who were hired through the back-door-policy could not be blamed the FCC would address the problem through other processes and ensure that the malpractice was not repeated in future.
One of his solutions could be to introduce a ‘Vacancies Journal’ in which the vacancies in public institutions would be published and circulated widely to all the States and local government Councils in the federation as well as national newspapers.
"Presently the commission is compiling the current list of Chief Executives of Federal parastatals, companies, agencies and institutions to ascertain their states of origin, dates of present appointment and place of assignment to update its records,” Professor Abdulraheem said.
"He said the Federal Character commission was empowered to work out an equitable formula, subject to the approval of the National "Assembly, for distribution of all posts in the Public Service, Armed Forces, Police Force and other government Security Agencies.
It could also promote, monitor and enforce compliance with principles of proportional sharing of all bureaucratic, economic, media and political posts at all levels of government.
26 August, 2008
INDIA
Move for transparency in PS recruitment
Conducting Public Service entry examinations online and videotaping selection interviews are among reforms proposed for recruitment into the Indian Public Service in a bid to make the process more transparent.
The reforms were recommended by a Parliamentary panel and would dramatically overhaul existing procedures
The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Personnel and Public Grievances has put forward sweeping changes in the functioning of the Union Public Service Commission to make the entire process much more transparent.
It was considering recommending that preliminary exams be conducted on the lines of General Management Aptitude Test wherein the tests could be conducted online and the candidates for the Public Service would know their marks immediately.
Chairman of the panel, E M Sudarshana Natchiappan said such a system would save crucial time lost in conducting exams and the process of correcting papers.
He said it would also introduce transparency to the entire process of getting into civil service.
Mr Natchiappan saids there were also lot of complaints that the interview board differentiating between candidates so it was felt that videotaping the whole process would help end such discrimination.
The Parliamentary panel also felt that the current practice of conducting civil services interviews separately for OBC, SC and ST candidates was in violation of the law.
26 August, 2008
SCOTLAND
Strike leads to new round of negotiations
A one-day strike by 150,000 Public Sector workers in Scotland is reported to have ‘paralysed’ the country and has led to employers seeking to reopen negotiations with unions over a pay deal.
Union leaders said workers from three unions, Unison, Unite and the GMB, took part in the strike which saw schools closed, rubbish remain uncollected and ferry services disrupted.
They said hundreds of schools were closed although some remained open for certain age groups and others had no meals service.
The pay dispute resulted from employers offering a rise of 2.5 per cent for each of the next three years, an offer unions labelled “derisory” due to the increase in the cost of living.
In a separate dispute, Scottish Government Public Servants in the Public and Commercial Services union staged a one-day strike over what they claimed was an imposed 2 per cent pay rise.
A spokesperson for Scotland’s major Local Government union, Unison said further strike action was likely unless the employer, Local Government organisation Cosla, acted.
Cosla spokesman, Michael Cook, said further disruption was in no-one’s best interest.
“The only way to resolve this is by negotiation and I would urge the unions to meet us and jointly reach a solution to the difficult situation that we all find ourselves in,” he said. “We have always been willing to talk – that willingness remains the same.”
The First Minister, Alex Salmond, said increasing PS wage inflation would increase economic slowdown but Finance Secretary, John Swinney, has remained neutral on the issue and urged both sides to enter into negotiations.
“It is for the unions and local authorities to resolve this dispute and avoid further disruption to public services,” Mr Swinney said.
“That can only be done through negotiation and we are encouraging both sides to get round the table to reach agreement.”
Twenty three primary and three secondary schools were completely closed in Edinburgh while others were partially closed.
In Musselburgh near Edinburgh, Unison said strikers agreed to go back to work to protect an old people's residential home from flooding.
26 August, 2008
SOUTH AFRICA
Role of women in PS highlighted
The South African Public Service has congratulated itself on making significant strides forward in empowering women.
The Deputy President of the country, Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka said the fact that just over half the number of Government employees being women was evidence of success in creating gender equality.
"I am heartened by the presence of so many women senior managers in the Public Service, the Deputy President said.
"To date, the number of women in government across all salary levels totals more than 600 000, compared to men at more than 500 000," he said.
Speaking at the launch of a two-day Public Service Gender ‘Indaba,’ the Deputy President said the future of women in the country looked bright due the stance the Government was taking to ensure equal participation in all important processes of the country.
"As women, we must take pride in the fact that empowerment in South Africa is seen as translating to active participation and that the pursuit for transformation has presented remarkable opportunities for us.
"Government takes pride in leading by example in the process of transformation and gender equality compared to other sectors in our country.”
She thanked former President Nelson Mandela and President Thabo Mbeki for the confidence they bestowed in the women of their country.
She said women Ministers in Cabinet currently comprised 42.8 per cent, and four of South Africa's nine provinces were headed by women Premiers. About 40 percent of Deputy Ministers in the Government were also women.
Despite these figures, the Minister for Public Service and Administration said they were still behind government's target of 50 per cent and DPSA consulting other departments to determine the challenges they were experiencing.
DPSA Minister, Geraldine Fraser-Moleketi said August was an important month, not only because it was Women's Month, but because it was the month in which the Government embraced the principles for which the women of 1956 marched.
"We need to eradicate all patriarchal impediments in the Public Service which include discrimination against pregnancy, race, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation and age,” Ms Fraser-Moleketi said.
"We need to ensure that there is not a single area that women are not involved in this country.”
Delegates at the Indaba were given a whistle and on the Minister's queue were asked to ‘blow the whistle’ on gender discrimination, violence against women and children, and for the empowerment of women.
26 August, 2008
CANADA
Transport reform wanes in Toronto
A proposal to declare the Toronto Transit Commission an ‘essential service’ following a crippling strike four months ago appears to be losing momentum.
Despite the strike by bus, subway and streetcar drivers bringing the city to a halt, TTC management has agreed with union officials that the city’s public transit system should not be given special treatment.
The TTC distributed a staff report to its Board members saying removing the right to strike from unionised workers would require expensive arbitrated contract settlements.
The Commission said, “…we believe that the TTC, the city and its residents would be best served by not declaring the TTC as an essential service, but by leaving the situation as it is today.”
However, a member of the TTC board, Councillor Michael Thompson, said the shutdown of the transit system was economically damaging to residents, workers and companies.
“It’s too important of a service that the unions can simply strike at a whim,” he said. “Transit is such an essential part of everyone’s daily life and we’re trying to promote it and push it.”
Mr Thompson said the people of Toronto should be able to access public transport whenever they wanted without being worried about “wildcat strikes or a strike”.
Councillor Adam Giambrone, chairman of the TTC, said he wasn’t sure making public transport an essential service would be financially worth it in the long run.
“Over 20 years … we’ve only lost five or six days to strikes and while that’s unfortunate, I’m not sure it’s worth millions of dollars a year to declare it an essential service,” Mr Giambrone said.
Mr. Thompson said public opinion seemed to overwhelmingly favour taking the right to strike away from TTC workers.
He said he believed people would see the cost of taking away that right as money well spent to ensure their security.
“I think Torontonians are willing to accept paying a little bit more for the assurance and the certainty that the service is going to be there when they need it,” he said.
26 August, 2008
KENYA
PM assures nation PS has reformed
The Prime Minister of Kenya, Raila Odinga has assured his countrymen that the days of Public Service corruption and Government operations being shrouded in secrecy were long gone.
In his address at the start of Public Service Week, Mr Odinga urged Kenyans to hold the Government accountable for any malpractice.
“Kenyans have proven they know their power and have the ability to throw out, not only MPs but the Government itself,” he said.
“The era when the Government was King is now long gone. The heavy-handed, top down approach, which saw leaders elevated from people’s servants to masters, is no longer tenable.” Mr Odinga said peace could only be attained if citizens respected the Government.
After launching The Citizens Service Charters, he told Public Servants to do their job according to their performance contracts or they would lose them.
“Wastage of public funds, now prevalent in the bureaucracy, must stop. Government accountability is ever more crucial in this era as we unlock deeply entrenched barriers to our progress,” he said.
Mr Odinga said his views on corruption reflected those of the Government.
“The language I am speaking here today is that of the Government. The President and myself are on the same wavelength and there are no two ways about it,” he said.
Mr Odinga said in the past the Public Service had been dogged by allegations of lack of courtesy, corruption and lethargy.
He said to heal and unify Kenya, Government services needed to be equitable and to reflect what the people wanted.
“There can be no compromise on that score,” he said.
Public Service week was an effort by Public Servants to showcase their achievements and create awareness of Government operations among Kenyans.
Mr Odinga’s speech coincided with the return of former Permanent Secretary for Governance and Ethics, John Githongo after over three years in self-exile in the United Kingdom.
26 August, 2008
NIGERIA
PS urged to collaborate to beat corruption
The Nigerian Public Service has been urged to collaborate with national crime and anti-corruption Agencies to ensure the nation enjoyed an efficient, meritorious and integrity-based Public Service.
Head of the Civil Service, Amal A. Pepple said the PS needed to ‘join hands’ with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission as well as Anti-corruption and Transparency Units in Departments and Agencies.
Ms Pepple said the PS was the most critical point of contact between the public and the Government in the areas of service delivery, attitudes toward work and governance.
At a film show on the Public Service and Integrity at Work held in Abuja, Ms Pepple said the Government was committed to consolidating recent reforms and achieving a secure, competent, professional, disciplined, accountable and customer friendly Public Service.
She said the public needed to be fully involved in determining the quality of service they received and had to hold the PS accountable under a strong performance contract.
Ms Pepple said the Government needed a strong, self-motivated Public Service that shared the same vision and was able to provide the required support.
She said leadership development in the Service would be a major focus, and that the film show aimed to provide Public Servants with training as well as being a part of the Public Service Day Celebrations for 2008.
Ms Pepple said the theme of the show was consistent with the administration’s objectives including providing, promoting and sustaining the anti-corruption crusade and was aimed at providing effective, efficient and reliable public services.
She urged participants to pay attention to the film to make the PS a ‘bastion of exemplary ethics and excellent service to the nation’.
Ms Pepple said corruption and malfunctioning of Government policies and procedures were critical areas that were having adverse effects on the economy and the socio-cultural, political and national integrity systems.
19 August, 2008
IRELAND
Photo ID to curb PS snooping
A photo identity card for Public Servants is to be trialed in Ireland as a way of tightening up security for data held in personal files.
The trial is being conducted by the Department of Social and Family Affairs and the Irish Finance Department and was prompted by the actions of 106 DFSA officers who accessed the personal files of Euromillions winner Delores McNamara without authorisation.
The Department said only 34 staff had a legitimate reason to access Ms McNamara’s file.
Ms McNamara, who won €115,436,126 (A$197 million) in 2005, had private information from her social welfare records leaked to the media sparking claims she had allegedly committed welfare fraud by collecting welfare payments whilst being employed.
While the claims amounted to nothing, the Public Servants who accessed her information without reason were reprimanded and the issue of the personal information security was raised in public.
Acting Director of the Irish Council for Civil Liberties, Tanya Ward said Ireland currently had very “piecemeal” privacy and data protection laws.
“Indeed, nothing illustrates the lack of adequate access control in public service records better than the level of unauthorised access of the Euromillions winner Delores McNamara's personal information,” Ms Ward said.
“The Government Departments responsible for this project must put serious safeguards in place to protect the personal information of every person on this database and to ensure that the information can only be used for legitimate purposes.”
She said the new photo ID card would include key information on individuals which Departments could use to identify and authenticate information access.
Piloted initially among recipients of free travel passes, the card has been proposed to replace those used for accessing services in social welfare, revenue, health, education, agriculture and Local Government.
Ms Ward said the ICCL wanted to know what safeguards were being put in place for the operation of the new Public Service Card system.
“Who will have access to this information and how will it be used?” she said.
“The Data Protection Commissioner only last week uncovered very serious weaknesses in data protection in the files of 300,000 people by the Department of Social and Family Affairs,” she said.
19 August, 2008
UNITED STATES
Scientists snubbed in new environmental powers
The United States Government could by-pass independent scientific advice on endangered species threatened by Government activity in a proposed overhaul of the Endangered Species Act.
The Bush administration plans to roll back a 30-year old practice and allow Federal Agencies to decide whether protected species would be imperiled by their own projects.
The new rules are now subject to a 30-day per comment period.
Under current law, Agencies must present plans that could affect endangered animals to the Fish and Wildlife Service or the National Marine Fisheries Service for an independent review.
The proposed laws would see construction and other Federal projects proceed without delay should the Agency in charge decide no harm would come to vulnerable species.
Interior Secretary, Dirk Kempthorne, said the new rules were a “narrow regulatory change” that would provide “clarity and certainty to the consultation process under the Endangered Species Act”.
However environmentalists and some Members of Congress have slammed the proposal.
Chairman of the House of Natural Resources Committee, Nick Rahall, said he was “deeply troubled” by the proposal as it was a last-minute attempt to bring about dramatic changes in the law.
“Eleventh-hour rulemakings rarely, if ever, lead to good government,” Mr Rahall said, “this is not the type of legacy this Interior Department should be leaving for future generations.”
Senior vice president of conservation programs at Defenders of Wildlife, Bob Irvin, questioned how Federal Agencies could make the assessments considering most did not have wildlife biologists on staff.
“Clearly, that's a case of asking the fox to guard the chicken coop,” Mr Irvin said.
He said the original law created “a giant caution light” to make Agencies rethink the impact of their actions but that the new proposal told them they didn’t need to think about that any more.
19 August, 2008
FIJI
Key PS jobs go to soldiers
About 60 soldiers from the Fijian military have been appointed to key Public Service positions in a bid, the interim Government says, to boost efficiency.
Fiji’s acting military commander and chief of staff, Colonel Aziz Mohammed, said the positions now occupied by soldiers included Commissioner of Prisons, Commissioner of Police and Director of Immigration.
Colonel Mohammed told Fijian news organisation, FijiLive ,that not all the soldiers would be senior officers and that 15 junior officers had been seconded to Immigration while others were sent to different Government Departments.
He said there was no need “as yet” to second any more soldiers to the Public Service, but if the need arose, they would do so.
When asked if the 60 soldiers were seconded or posted because the Army was unhappy with the level of support the Public Service had shown the interim administration, Colonel Mohammed said they simply wanted to bring about reforms at a faster rate.
19 August, 2008
UGANDA
Retrenchments to clear out inefficient staff
The Ugandan Government is to embark on a program of retrenching Public Servants to improve the efficiency of the sector.
The Director of Efficiency and Quality Assurance with the Public Service Ministry, Salome Namuyungu, said the exercise was meant to get rid of redundant employees.
“We are going to carry out retrenchment because of the inefficiency of many personnel in various Ministries,” Ms Namuyungu said.
“Many people are not effective and there is no reason why we should retain them.”
Speaking on Government reform structures, Ms Namuyungu said a certain number of workers were needed but it was illogical to have workers in the same Department with the same qualifications doing the same job.
“That is wastage of resources and it bars others who are competent,” she said.
Ms Namuyungu said the Gvernment last ran a retrenching program in 1991 when they reduced the number of Public Servants from 300,000 to 150,000 and the number of ministries from 34 to 21.
In 1998, President Yoweri Museveni announced a further reduction to 17 Ministries.
As a result of the reductions, pay and other incentives were enhanced.
According to the Uganda Bureau of Statistics, following a program to decentralise the Public Service, its numbers grew to over 255,000 employees.
Ms Namuyungu said technology had eased work processes and fewer workers were needed.
“Today the work which needs five people can be done by one computer operated by one individual or two,” she said.
“This implies that many workers are useless. Many officials are not computer-literate, which is another reason for disqualification.”
She said the Government would again enhance pay and incentives for its remaining employees.
“We need people who will do the right job and service and deliver in the allocated time frame expected by the public. Those will be retained,” Ms Namuyungu said.
The Ethics Director in the Office of the President, Ashaba Aheebwa, said service delivery was being slowed by bureaucracy.
“Public offices deal with common people,” Mr Aheebwa said.
“There is a lot of bureaucracy which delays services. We want to reverse this so that people can be served efficiently.”
He advised Public Servants to keep politics and service delivery separate.The retrenchment program has come following the approval by Parliament of a sh37b (A$26.3 million) World Bank loan to facilitate public service reform.
19 August, 2008
NORTHERN IREAND
Conference to reform PS
The Government of Northern Ireland is taking its next steps on the road to transforming its Public Service by addressing the legacy of under-investment in infrastructure at a conference in November.
The Government also hopes to harness the talents of all sectors of its community - public, private, voluntary and community - to help implement reforms.
The Northern Ireland 08 conference, now in its third year, would focus on transforming public service delivery and examining the program of internal reform taking place within the Service.
It was expected to bring together over 350 PS professionals and 18 industry experts to help drive forward Northern Ireland’s improving economy while also modernising the health service and emergency response authorities.
First Minister, Peter Robinson, said the Government was “operating in a tighter financial climate”, but that people still expected and deserved to see improvements in public services.
“We are putting our own house in order through a major program on internal reform,” Mr Robinson said.
“This program is well underway and will deliver improved service, reduced bureaucracy and efficiencies through sharing key corporate services such as human resources, finance, ICT and training across Government Departments.”
He said major investment was needed to bring Northern Ireland “up to scratch” and to provide better working conditions to drive improvements in service delivery.
In January this year, then First Minister, Ian Paisley and Deputy First Minister, Martin McGuinness, outlined a three year Program for Government and multi-billion pound investment strategy.
Modernising the infrastructure and processes of the civil service were key parts of their reform program.
Dr Paisley and Mr McGuinness said the program aimed to reduce costs and cut bureaucracy to release savings that would be re-directed towards delivering key services directly to the public.
The conference is to be chaired by BBC Northern Ireland’s political editor and chair of the Stormont Correspondent’s Association, Mark Devenport.
Key speakers would include the Chief Executive of the European Centre for Connected Health, Andrew Hamilton; the director of delivery and innovation at the Department of Finance, Bill McCluggage; and David Orr, head of corporate services group with the Department of Finance.
More information on the conference, to be held at Waterfront Hall in Belfast on 11 November, could be found from www.govnet.co.uk
19 August, 2008
UNITED STATES
Approved payrises denied to PS
Federal Public Servants in the United States are being denied payrises of up to 31 per cent granted by the Federal Salary Council because of the economic conditions of the country.
Under the Federal Employees Pay Comparability Act of 1990, the difference between wages for Federal and non-Federal workers should be kept down to 5 per cent.
Yet according to a Congressional Research Service report the Government would need to increase Federal pay in Washington by almost a third to reach that point with the nationwide rise averaging around 19 per cent.
Yet the report said the Government had not broken the law, even though the “law has never been implemented as originally enacted”.
The report said under the Act, the Government could withhold pay rises, primarily for General Schedule employees, in the event of a national emergency or in serious economic conditions.
The Secretary of Labor, Elaine Chao, the Director of the Office of Management and Budget, James Nussle and the former Director of the Office of Personnel Management, Linda Springer, advised President Bush to use the loophole as they believed it would be “unwise” to allow the full raise to take affect “given the national emergency”.
The Federal Salary Council, an advisory body including administration appointees, union officials and outside representatives recommended an average increase of almost 37 per cent.
Deputy Associate Director for Performance and Pay Systems at the Office of Personnel Management, Chuck Grimes, said the Council’s recommendation was more of an indication of what it would take to close the pay gap, and said the 37 per cent did not include the average 17 per cent in locality pay increases that had not been paid over the years.
Mr Grimes said there was “not enough money to do it” as the report said it would cost US$12.1 billion (A$14 billion) to close the gap.
The author of the report, Barbara Schwemle, said every administration had indicated they had serious concerns about flaws in the law.
In 2000, then President, Bill Clinton, declined to grant a full pay rise saying it “would invite serious economic risks”, despite there being a budget surplus.
According to the Congressional report, the law “authorises the President to fix an alternative level of locality-based comparability payments if . . . the President considers the level that would otherwise be payable inappropriate”.
Ms Schwemle said if President Bush or Congress didn’t take action, the higher pay increases would automatically take effect.
She said the law was intended to make the pay of Federal workers “substantially equal, in the aggregate, to those of non-Federal workers for the same levels of work in the same locality.”
19 August, 2008
TANZANIA
Strike called to settle pay arrears
Over 250,000 Public Servants in Tanzania are to strike next week to protest against salary arrears dating back to January.
Secretary-General of the Trade Union Congress of Tanzania, Nestory Ngulla, said the protest over non-payment of a reported Sh500 billion (A$499 million) would last for at least three days.
Mr Ngulla said the strike could be extended depending on how the Government reacted to the demands for full payment.
He said members of four main unions representing Public Servants were determined to walk out of their workstations to demonstrate their unhappiness at the Government’s “indifference”.
The Permanent Secretary for Public Service Management, George Yambesi said there were no grounds for the strike.
“There is no need for calling a strike because the Government has already paid new salaries in July and is working towards establishing the correct amount of arrears it owes its workers,” Mr Yambesi said.
“We are surprised and do not understand the basis on which they are organising the protest.”
He said the Government aimed to pay all arrears between August and September and that a lack of budgeted funds had delayed the payment of new salaries from January to July.
Mr Ngulla said workers would resort to strikes until their claims were fully met, and dismissed Dr Yambesi’s stance, saying the Government had taken too long to end workers’ problems.
Health and Social Welfare Deputy Minister, Aisha Kigoda, intervened to temporarily end a strike by medical interns at Muhimbili National Hospital which pre-empted the upcoming protest.
Areas most likely to be affected by the strike are schools, health facilities and district and regional councils as over 100,000 teachers, 52,000 health workers and 48,000 local government employees are employed by the Government.
19 August, 2008
CANADA
Preference for minorities in recruitment drive
The head of the Canadian Public Service, Kevin Lynch, has ordered Departments and Agencies to give preference to ‘visible minorities’ in a new recruitment drive aimed at attracting 4,000 university and college graduates to the bureaucracy.
Mr Lynch said the drive aimed to renew the Public Service which was on the threshold of undergoing a massive turnover as baby boomers retired in record numbers over the next few years.
While Mr Lynch did not specify what percentage of new employees should be visible minorities, he said it was important to start “closing the gap in representation of visible minority Canadians in the Public Service”.
He said visible minorities would have to be recruited in numbers beyond their proportion of the workforce.
Despite the hiring and promotion of visible minorities having been priorities for around 10 years, they have continued to lose ground in the PS.
Last year, the Public Service Commission found the recruitment rate of visible minorities was falling, even though the overall hiring of Public Servants had increased.
The Commission found that despite increased hiring, the recruitment of visible minorities dropped from 9.8 per cent to 8.7 per cent of all new staff.
The Commission said this had occurred even though visible minorities were more educated than most applicants with half holding Bachelor or other degrees.
Under Canada's employment equity laws, the Government must hire women, people with disabilities, Aboriginals and visible minorities in proportion to their share of the labour force.
Based on the 2001 census, Departments were trailing in process as visible minorities made up 10.4 per cent of the labour force, but held 8.6 per cent of Government jobs.
The National Council on Visible Minorities claimed poor planning was a large part of the problem.
President of the NCVM, Igho Natufe, said Departments had known for years that the visible minority population was exploding, but had continued to follow the 2001 census labour force availability as the guide for hiring, despite it being eclipsed by the 2006 census.
“They all knew those projections and we were way behind,” Mr Natufe said.
“They knew one in five Canadians will be visible minorities by 2017, but we have to wait until it gets here before we plan for it?”
He said cultural and systemic barriers needed to be overcome.
“If we are among the most educated (to apply) then why aren't we employed?
“The answer is racism, pure and simple,” he said.
The Government has aimed to recruit the 4,000 new employees by March next year.
19 August, 2008
KENYA
Pay rise for lower levels
Around 125,000 lower level Public Servants in Kenya have been granted pay increases, bringing an end to protracted salary negotiations with the PS Union.
The Minister of State for Public Service, Dalmas Otieno, said the pay rise would cost the government Sh3.5 billion (A$60 million) each year.
“The salary adjustment aims to motivate staff and has taken into consideration disparities within job groups in the lower and middle cadres,” Mr Otieno said.
He said under the new structure, the lowest paid Public Servants, which included cleaners and messengers, would earn a basic salary of Sh7,829 (A$134) per month compared to pre-2005 figures when they earned Sh3,310 (A$56.7).
Mr Otieno said in addition, they would receive Sh3,000 for housing and Sh375 (totaling A$58), bringing their total salary package to Sh11,204 (A$192) per month.
Acting Secretary-General of the Union of Kenya Civil Servants, Tom Odege, and National Treasurer, Justus Mugo, said the pay raise was historical.
“Today marks the beginning of good tidings for our members and we shall continue negotiating for better terms,” Mr Odege said.
“We will soon be on the negotiation table to demand for improved commuter and housing allowances for our members.”
He said with the improved pay, Public Servants must enhance their service delivery to the public.
Mr Otieno also urged employees to use their new pay packages to motivate them to work hard and said that the service would try to fill staffing gaps following an unsuccessful retrenchment policy that sacked employees and encouraged them to start up businesses.
“The long freeze on employment and retrenchment created gaps in human resource in the Civil Service,” he said.
“We sent home many employees and encouraged them to start businesses without first preparing them adequately,” he said.
Mr Otieno said it was impossible to “just go into business and hope to succeed”.
He said the Service would endeavour to hire competent employees.
“Being just present in the Civil Service while doing nothing must end. Those who remain in the service must be motivated through better pay packages,” he said.
The push for a pay raise began last year during talks between the Government and the Union which negotiated a 45 per cent pay increment that would have seen the lowest paid civil servant take home Sh9,631 (A$165) and the highest worker get Sh32,883 (A$563).
19 August, 2008
SOUTH AFRICA
Conference to explore PS gender options
A two-day conference in Pretoria, hosted by the Minister for Public Service and Administration, is to examine the feasibility of including gender initiatives in public policy in South Africa.
The Public Service ‘Indaba’ being held this week would consider moves to ensure all sectors of Government were held accountable and that they implemented the eight step principle action plans of gender equality and women’s empowerment.
According to a consultation document issued by the Department of Public Service and Administration, the first step of the plan would look at transforming South Africa into a “genuinely non-sexist society”.
The principal action plan would further include eradicating poverty and underdevelopment; securing the safety and security of South Africans; “the further entrenchment of democracy”; building a strong democratic state; transforming SA into a non-racial society; allowing the spiritual and material fulfillment of all South Africans; and “contributing to the victory of the African renaissance and the achievement of the goal of a better life for the people of African and the rest of the world”.
The consultation document, A Strategic Framework for Gender Equality Within the Public Service, said its main objective was to “spearhead the creation of an enabling environment that would … achieve the strategic objective of women’s empowerment and gender equality”.
Deputy President Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, is expected to deliver a keynote address on the Government's role in gender equality and the empowerment of women at the conference.
Delegates from the United Nations Development Fund for Women, African Union Commission on Women, Southern African Development Community and the South African Women in Dialogue were expected to attend.
During the Indaba, Burundi’s Deputy Minister of Human Rights and Gender, Rose Nduwayo, is to discuss a case study on her country's experience in engendering Public Service Policy.
The Indaba would be followed by an award presentation recognising outstanding women managers at senior management level within the Public Service.
12 August, 2008
NEW ZEALAND
PS payrates well ahead of private sector
A study of salary rates in the New Zealand public and private sectors has found Public Servants’ pay was up to 21 per cent higher than those in the private sector.
In a report, entitled Public sector fat cats?, an economist from the University of Waikato Management School, John Gibson, said Public Servants could “hardly claim they are underpaid”, commenting on calls for pay rises from PS unions.
Professor Gibson said according to 2005 figures, on average Public Servants received 17 to 21 per cent more money than private sector workers.
“Private sector employers are finding it pretty difficult to compete,” he said, “especially with better perks such as holidays and retirement schemes.”
The National Secretary of the Public Service Association, Brenda Pilott, criticised the review, saying it had no value.
“He calls Public Servants fat cats because a surgeon working at a hospital earns more than a teenager working at McDonalds,” Ms Pilott said.
She said the most recent large pay increases in the Public Sector had been for doctors and nurses in public hospitals and for teachers who could earn more by working overseas.
Ms Pilott said the real benchmark for workers’ pay packages was the pay being offered overseas.
But Professor Gibson said the study compared similar jobs in both sectors and took factors such as job security, qualifications, age and location into account.
He said he also accounted for factors like stress, which tended to be worse in the PS, and physically demanding or boring work, which tended to be worse in the private sector.
Professor Gibson said Public Sector workers also tended to have greater job satisfaction and that in a competitive job market people would work for less to feel good about their job.
“So the fact that Public Sector workers actually get paid 20 per cent more is evidence of how out-of-line wage-setting has been in the Public Sector,” Professor Gibson said.
Chief Executive of Business New Zealand, Phil O'Reilly, said the pay gap went right to the top companies.
Private sector companies in Wellington are facing wage pressure and employee retention issues because of Public Sector competition,” Mr O’Reilly said.
“These are not low payers - they are serious corporates.”
He said companies were losing staff to the government and were being crowded out of the city's best offices.
Mr O’Reilly said there would have to be a swing back on wages as Public Sector pay rates were unsustainable and that if a new Government simply froze wages, it would lose its “best and brightest” staff.
The study also found the premium for PS work on pay alone was 11 per cent. Including age, education, gender, ethnicity, marital status and location, it was13 per cent, and including job attributes, the premium was 21 per cent.
Professor Gibson said Public sector workers were more highly educated; more likely to be female; more likely to live in the Wellington region; more likely to find their job interesting and useful to society; but less likely to do hard physical work.
12 August, 2008
UGANDA
Loan to pay off PS ghosts denied
A plan to borrow about $70 million to rid the Ugandan Public Service of “ghost” workers has been rejected by the nation’s Parliament.
The request for the loan, which would also overhaul the performance of Public Service Institutions, was put on hold by a ‘host of distressed legislators’.
Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on National Economy, Kadunabbi Lubega, asked the House to approve only $23 million instead of $70 million the Government had requested to borrow from the World Bank.
Mr Kadunabbi said the loan looked “ambitious and amorphous”.
The Shadow Minister for Public Service, Rebecca Otengo said borrowing the money to clean ghosts from the pay roll was unnecessary when they knew who created them in the first place.
Ms Otengo said people should take responsibility for their actions and if they were to borrow the money they should be disciplined.
She was supported by MP Simon Tolit, while others suggested the loan be given to the Ministry of Health to address maternal challenges.
Others claimed the loan was unnecessary, was not needed and should be left out.
The loan request has been outstanding since last year when Parliament first rejected it, insisting the Ministry of Public Service merely wanted to meet the costs of duplication with the loan facility in question.
Finance Minister, Ezra Suruma said Uganda needed the money as the Public
Service was unable to implement Government programs in the budget.
“It’s therefore unrealistic not to consider such core requirements needed to address the weaknesses in the sector,” Dr Suruma said.
12 August, 2008
INDIA
PSC sacked over recruitment charges
The Public Service Commission in the Indian State of Haryana has been suspended after reports it had manipulated appointments to PS jobs in the State.
Governor A.R. Kidwai suspended all nine members of the Commission, including its chairman, M.S. Saini last week.
The move followed immediately upon the acceptance by President Pratibha Patil of a a presidential reference by the Haryana Government seeking the Commission’s removal.
The suspension was expected to remain until the Supreme Court came to a decision regarding the corruption charges.
The members of the Commission were appointed by the Om Prakash Chautala Government before 2005, when the present Bhupinder Singh Hooda-led Congress Government took over.
The present Government has been at loggerheads with the Commission, whose members have a six-year term and had withdrawn most posts from its purview over the past three years.
The Hooda government has initiated steps to expand the Commission from its present strength of nine to 13, but with the suspension of the present members, it was now likely to appoint new members and select one of them to be the acting Chairman.
The suspended members included Ranbir Singh Hooda, Dunger Ram, Chhatar Singh, Om Prakash, Santosh Singh, Yudhvir Singh, Satbir Singh and Ram Kumar Kashyap.
Haryana is a state in the Punjab region of Northern India and surrounded Delhi on three sides. It is an industrial area and has one of the highest income per capita in India.
12 August, 2008
SOUTH AFRICA
Corruption claims rejected
The South African Government has hit back at claims by the country’s Public Service Commission that it was riddled with corruption, saying there had been a decline in graft among State employees.
Director-General of Public Service and Administration, Richard Levin, said there had been a decrease in the public's perception of corruption.
“Our experience of corruption is that it is marginally on the decline,” Mr Levine said, “the public sector is no more unethical or corrupt than the rest of society is.”
He argued this was largely because the Government imposed tougher standards on itself than it did on its partners in the private and corporate sectors.
Public Service and Administration Minister, Geraldine Fraser-Moleketi, said the Government's multi-sectoral approach to fighting corruption had contributed to anti-corruption reforms.
Ms Fraser-Moleketi and Mr Levin spoke in response to a claim by PSC chairperson, Professor Stan Sangweni, that corruption had been increasing.
Speaking at the start of the third Anti-Corruption Summit in Boksburg, Professor Sangweni said South Africa had failed to eliminate or reduce the ‘scourge’ of corruption as he had predicted when he launched the first National Anti-Corruption Summit in 1999.
“From where I sit, there are 5,000 cases of alleged corruption in national and local government structures,” he said.
“These charges range from abuse of telephones to irregular purchasing agreements and claims amounting to millions of Rand.”
Professor Sangweni said the rate of competent investigations was “dismally low”.
President of the Federation of Democratic Unions of South Africa, Mary Malete, said corruption was equally rife within the corporate world, where investigations had uncovered food price fixing and pension fund scams.
Ms Malete said the poor were often ignored in favour of those well-connected to government officials when it came to lucrative tenders.
“This is also corruption,” she said.
12 August, 2008
KENYA
PM to increases office staff
An international consultant has recommended that the Kenyan Prime Minister expand his office staff to include many more people.
Among the positions recommended for creation were units dealing with communication, strategy and delivery, Parliamentary issues, policy support, correspondence, finance, administration and personnel.
The report by UK consultant, Adam Smith International, recommended a senior position under the Office of the Prime Minister be created to help the PM effectively coordinate the functions of the ministries.
Zimbabwean newspaper, The Standard on Sunday, reported that a draft proposal recommending the new staff positions was awaiting Government approval and implementation, despite being completed three months ago.
The proposal suggested alongside the current permanent secretary, secretary and protocol officer, a senior policy adviser, political officer, policy adviser, Cabinet Secretariat officer, deputy director of communication and parliamentary officer, two additional permanent secretaries and a principal private secretary be created.
Despite his skeleton staff, Prime Minister, Raila Odinga has emerged strongly over the past three months to give meaning to his coordination and supervisory roles.
Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Public Service, Titus Ndambuki said the draft report was yet to be implemented due to ongoing discussions on how best to adapt it to the Civil Service Structure.
“It is still a zero-draft,” Mr Ndambuki said. “We have experts in the Public Service who are still working on it.
“It cannot possibly be implemented the way it is unless we look at the current structure in the Civil Service.”
He said as the report had been drafted by a foreign firm it needed scrutiny before effective integration could begin.
Government spokesperson, Alfred Mutua played down fears the report would be discarded.
“The report is being discussed by the Office of the President, the Prime Minister and the Ministry of Public Service,” Dr Mutua said.
The draft also included positions for the two Deputy Prime Ministers, Musalia Mudavadi and Uhuru Kenyatta.
It recommended Mr Odinga occasionally delegate specific duties to Mr Mudavadi and Mr Kenyatta, particularly chairing Cabinet sub-committees.
The Smith Group proposed the Ministry of State for Public Service, Northern Kenya and Arid Lands and the Ministry of Planning should fall under the office of the PM.
The Head of the Civil Service, Francis Muthaura has been criticised for not yet implementing any of the recommendations.
Despite this, Mr Ndambuki said there was no cause for alarm as the report was “in the correct hands of the Government”.
He suggested the report would be implemented soon, possibly this week, after the finer details had been looked into.
“Soon there will also be reshuffle of clerks in the Civil Service for effective delivery of services in the Government,” he said.
Spokesperson for the political party, the Orange Democratic Movement, Salim Lone said he was optimistic about the current challenges and said progress was being made.
“Of course, there are challenges which are to be expected in such an unprecedented arrangement,” Mr Lone said.
12 August, 2008
CANADA
Jobs survey shows PS not popular
A survey of jobs in Canada has found that most Canadians were disillusioned with the Public Service as a career as they saw the PS as overworked and putting in long hours.
A study by researchers Angus Reid, found 33 per cent of Canadians thought a career with a private company was more respectable than a job in the public sector, while 37 per cent didn’t distinguish between them.
The poll found the image of the PS was “far worse than people think”; with 43 per cent of Canadians saying they would prefer to work in the private sector if given a choice.
It found women were more likely to be interested in joining the Public Service because they believed it would allow them to better balance the demands of work and family.
But according to a Professor at Carleton University, Linda Duxbury, Public Servants quickly became unhappy with their job conditions.
“The benefits, hours and flex time is on the books and the perception is this is utopia for work-life balance, but they will quickly find out that is not what they will get,” Professor Duxbury said.
Forty-two per cent of respondents said they thought creativity was an important trait in a job, and was more readily available in the private sector.
Thirty-six per cent liked the salaries offered by private companies and the freedom of being able to change occupations quickly.
The poll found 46 per cent of respondents who preferred to work in the Public Sector thought the benefits packages were appealing, with around 26 per cent drawn by job safety and the chance to serve the country.
Forty-one per cent of male respondents found careers within private companies honourable, compared to 25 per cent of females
12 August, 2008
MALAYSIA
Official alarm at PS impression
Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister, Najib Razak has described as ‘alarming’ the results of a recent survey that showed the public's impression of the Public Service was even lower than its perception of corruption.
Mr Razak said the PS needed to guard against complacency because the Malaysian public, like any other progressive society, was becoming less tolerant of inefficiency, and was demanding that its perspective be heard.
He said the PS had to challenge itself to excel and needed to realign itself to the demand of contemporary society and global challenges.
“More needs to be done to move the Public Service with the times,” Mr Razak said.
“The Public Service must look at its role with a new pair of eyes and through a fresh lens to ensure that it rises to the challenges put before Malaysia with unsullied solutions.”
In his keynote address at the 13th Civil Service Conference, ‘Taking Charge: Leadership in the Public Service’, Mr Razak said the PS leadership in policy advice, implementation and decision-making had a ‘profound and extensive’ impact on the lives of the public.”
Mr Razak outlined three values to encapsulate the thrust of the Public Service – creating a culture for excellence, a knowledge-based workforce and a PS working for the 21st century.
He said to create a culture for excellence, the PS needed to set high performance standards with realistic goals and plans to achieve them.
“The Public Service should no longer be satisfied with merely mediocre performance and therefore, leadership in the Public Service must demand a high standard of performance,” Mr Razak said.
“We must always challenge and stretch ourselves and never be afraid of coming out with new ideas and approaches.”
He said Agencies needed to build relationships and collaborate with each other rather than seeing themselves as isolated entities.
“Poor coordination among Public Sector Agencies has resulted in overlapping of roles and functions as well as wastages in terms of time and resources,” he said.
“The gap between the centre and frontline service delivery needs to be narrowed.”
Mr Razak said Public Service officials should also strive to be a knowledge-based workforce that was result-driven, focused, productive, creative and innovative.
He said efforts were also being taken to rebrand the PS to make it a more attractive employer and to attract the best talent into the Service.
“I strongly believe that new systems should be devised to attract the best citizens and the best brains to join the civil service,” he said.
“This would require flexibility in terms of requirements at different levels of entry points into the Service.
Mr Razak said a culture of innovation, creativity and continuous improvements should be adopted as a work culture at all levels of the organisation.
“We cannot afford to sit and wait, and then react to the continuously changing environment,” he said.
12 August, 2008
UNITED KINGDOM
TV mogul blames regulator for loss
Leading television broadcaster, ITV, has slammed the demands of complying with Government broadcasting as one of the reasons behind a huge drop in profits.
Executive chairman of the service, Michael Grade said the burden of 'nanny state regulation' was actually putting the future of ITV at risk.
In return for its licence to broadcast, ITV was required by the Government to provide a level of less profitable programming such as current affairs and local news.
One broadcasting watchdog estimated that the licence cost ITV £45 million a year but Mr Grade said its public service obligations were actually costing £220 million.
He warned this could force ITV to cut its £1billion programming budget or even renounce its public service status, instead existing as a purely digital broadcaster.
Mr Grade said presenters’ pay and big-budget dramas could also be sacrificed following a loss of £36 million (A$77.9 million).
He said the “host of nanny state regulation” about where advertising was placed, how they treated their suppliers and all the contracts they entered into with independent producers were controlled by a regulator.
“This is all Alice in Wonderland,” Mr Grade said, “this all belongs 20 years ago. It’s so out of date.”
Mr Grade said ITV had already cut back on its children’s output and had asked the watchdog to sanction a reduction in its regional news and programming in order to save £40 million (A$86.6 million) a year.
ITV has been given permission to reduce the volume of regional news by a fifth and halve its commitment to other regional programming in England and Wales.
Elsewhere, it would be allowed to reduce its current affairs output by a third and reduce its out-of-London production quota.
Mr Grade said he would make an extra £35 million (A$75.8 million) of cost savings by the end of 2010, on top of £81million (A$175.3 million) in cuts by the end of 2009.
Some sources said up to 10 per cent of ITV's 6,000 strong workforce were under threat and talent costs were under scrutiny.
ITV’s stock price fell by over 10 per cent following the announcement its pre-tax profits plunged by 28 per cent, from £127 million (A$274.9 million) last year to £91 million (A$196.9 million).
However, Mr Grade said he expected the company to perform well in the autumn.
12 August, 2008
SOUTH AFRICA
PS missing female job targets
The South African Public Service has been slow to appoint women to middle and senior management positions, according to a Public Service Commission report.
The State of the Public Service report found although Departments had met the race targets set by Cabinet, they only had about four months remaining to meet the gender equality target of 50 per cent.
Currently women made up around 33 per cent of senior managers in the PS and 35 per cent of the total workforce.
“If it took Departments such a long time to achieve the first target of 30% by 2005, it may take them even longer to meet the new target,” the report said.
The report said provinces such as Free State, Northern Cape and Western Cape would have an even bigger task before them as the percentage of women still fell below the 30 per cent target.
It said the issue of gender representation needed to be closely monitored and that Departments should take decisive steps to accelerate the process.
Departmental heads have been encouraged to implement a suggestion from the Minister for Public Service and Administration, Geraldine Fraser-Moleketi that eight principles of women’s empowerment be included in Departmental action plans.
“These principles include the provision of adequate resources to advance gender equality, incorporating gender perspectives into all the work of Departments and meeting equity targets,” the report said.
The report also looked at the employment of people with disabilities in the Public Sector and found they made up only 0.2 per cent of employees rather than the2 per cent target that had been set.
“The problem persists, with the modest target of 2% not being met,” it said.
PSC research found the Public Service needed to adopt a “unique and holistic” approach that required a review of circumstances to make the employment of disabled people more favourable.
“Such an approach should not only focus on policies, processes and numeric targets,” the report said. “There needs to be a conscious effort to effect a change of attitudes and behaviour so that the commitment to implement policies can be secured.”
The research also found few people with disabilities applied for jobs due to a lack of targeted recruitment by PS Departments
The report said there seemed to be reluctance on the part of disabled people to disclose their status.
It recommended awareness education, targeted advertising, accelerating skill and improving resource allocation was needed to improve the recruitment of disabled people.
12 August, 2008
CANADA
Big payrises for some Canadian PS executives
The Canadian Province of British Columbia is to significantly increase the pay rates of its senior Public Service executives, with the Premier’s top Departmental administrator to receive a pay rise of over 40 per cent, or more than $100,000 a year.
Wages for executive level employees have been revised to bring BC more in line with other jurisdictions across Canada as an examination of the senior PS labour market across the country showed the Province was lagging behind and changes were needed to help recruit and retain talent.
The BC Public Service has been facing significant challenges due to an ageing workforce, particularly at an executive level, with forecasts showing within 10 years over 65 per cent of assistant deputy ministers and 51 per cent of deputy ministers would retire.
A comparison of compensation levels of PS jurisdictions across Canada showed BC ranked 10th for assistant deputy minister compensation and sixth for deputy minister compensation.
The new framework would place the BC Public Service third among the Provinces and the Federal Government.
It would see Deputy Minister compensation set at 83 per cent of Federal salaries, as it was prior to 2006, and would be subject to the same regular review cycle to ensure ongoing competitiveness.
As of the beginning of August, the maximum payable salary to deputy ministers increased from $221,760 to $299,215 and from $243,936 to $348,600 for the deputy minister to the Premier.
The maximum achievable salary for assistant deputy ministers increased from $160,000 to $195,000.
The salary holdback component, a bonus based on specific performance measures linked to leadership, would increase from five per cent of salary to 10 per cent for both deputy ministers and assistant deputy ministers.
5 August, 2008
NIGERIA
All-African PS gains support
A plan to bring all the Public Services in Africa under a single umbrella was a good one and timely according to the Vice President of Nigeria, Dr Goodluck Ebele Jonathan.
Dr Jonathan said the Public Service and its role in human development and nation building was extremely important.
He told members of the Association of African Public Service Commissions (AAPSCOM) that the PS was a “strong intellectual arm of government with very experienced and quality personnel”.
“It is therefore a good thing that all the Civil Service Commissions in Africa are coming together, to enable them to contribute meaningfully to various development programs in Africa,” Dr Jonathan said.
Meeting delegates from the AAPSCOM, including its president, Professor Stanislaus Sangweni, Dr Jonathan commended them on choosing the State House at Abuja, Nigeria, for their meeting.
He said he hoped after their deliberations, they would have concreted all aspects concerning the objectives and the organisational structure of the Association.
Professor Sangweni said the need for a platform to have one voice and to be able to contribute to reforming society were important reasons for bringing all the Public Service Commissions in Africa together.
He said Public Service Commissions should be able to contribute and give directions to reforms.
“The Civil Service seems to be the missing link in every society, hence the need to regroup ourselves towards contributing to good governance,” he said.
5 August, 2008
UNITED STATES
Border guards empowered to take laptops
The United States Department of Homeland Security has announced tough measures that empower border guards to remove travelers’ laptop computers and other electronic devices to an off-site location for examination.
The new rules, introduced last month, allow the guards to hold the computers for unspecified lengths of time and to share their contents with other Agencies and private organisations for language translation, data decryption or other reasons.
The measures have been described as ‘truly alarming’ by a US Senator because there was no requirement for the guard to suspect wrongdoing before seizing the computer.
Senator Russell Feingold said he planned to introduce legislation that would require reasonable suspicion for border searches and would prohibit searches due to race, religion or national origin.
However, DHS officials said the policies, which applied to anyone entering the country, were reasonable and necessary to prevent terrorism.
The officials said such procedures had long been in place but had been disclosed due to public interest in the matter.
Civil liberties and business travel groups have pressed the Government to disclose its procedures as an increasing number of international travelers reported their laptops, mobile phones and other digital devices had been taken and examined.
According to the policies, officers may “detain” laptops “for a reasonable period of time” to “review and analyse information”.
The policies covered “any device capable of storing information in digital or analog form”, and included hard drives, flash drives, mobiles, iPods, pagers, beepers, and video and audio tapes.
They also covered “all papers and other written documentation” including books, pamphlets and loose papers.
The policies stated reasonable measures needed to be taken to protect business information and attorney-client privileged material, but there was no specific mention of the handling of personal data such as medical and financial records.
They said after a review of the information was completed and no reason found to keep it, the information must be destroyed and copies sent to non-federal entities must be returned.
Deputy Commissioner of Customs, Jayson Ahern defended the rules as they did not infringe on the privacy of Americans, even though American citizens were also subject to the examinations.
In April, the US Court of Appeals upheld the Government's power to conduct searches of an international traveler's laptop without suspicion of wrongdoing.
5 August, 2008
SOUTH AFRICA
President opens PS Academy
The President of South Africa, Thabo Mbeki, has officially opened the Public Administration Leadership and Management Academy, which will be known as Palama.
Mr Mbeki said Palama would essentially be a training facility for Public Services, and while the name was an acronym, it also meant ‘ascend’ or ‘get on board’ in Sesotho.
“We can be greatly proud of what we have taken on and how much we have achieved, he said.
“But as ever, the better we do, the more the next challenges and problems are thrown into sharp relief.”
Mr Mbeki said the opening was an invitation Public Service managers across all three spheres of Government to use the Academy to lift their performance and enhance the 'Batho Pele' ethos of service delivery.
Minister for Public Service and Administration, Geraldine Fraser-Moleketi, said the South African Management Development Institute (Samdi) would be replaced by Palama and that Palama would increase and accelerate management development and training.
Ms Fraser-Moleketi said the move towards creating a single Public Service was not intended to amend the Constitution but to bring about “greater alignment” within the Government.
“Inter-relatedness and collaboration is seen in reality through the delivery of services,” she said.
Ms Fraser-Moleketi said her Department had submitted a draft of a framework to provide public services across the spheres to Parliament.
“We shouldn't have a situation where people say, ‘I don't want to live in the North West because of the services.”
She said public services needed to be regulated across all provinces as each citizen had a right to the same services.
She said skills development in the Government would help bring about service equality and that the Academy would play a role in doing this
Ms Fraser-Moleketi said Palama would play a collaborative role in training Public Servants.
“It is not in isolation of the higher tertiary environment,” she said.
Mr Mbeki said the opening was marked by the unveiling of a bust of Zachariah Keodirelang Matthews, a freedom fighter and academic who developed the Freedom Charter with its core principals enshrined in the Constitution.
He told the gathering, which included Mr Matthew’s son and granddaughter, that it was an honour to open the institute that bore the proud name of ZK Matthews.
“We trust that all who graduate from Palama will be inspired by the example set by ZK Matthews - to value knowledge, public service and devotion to principle, and at all times remain fearless in their commitment to democracy and the vision of a non-racial, non-sexist and just society.”
The sculpture was created by Noria Mabasa, one of South Africa's most famous sculptors, and captured a smiling Mr Matthews holding up his left thumb.
5 August, 2008
MACAU
Survey shows need for PS improvement
A survey carried out by the Macau Commission Against Corruption (CCAC) has revealed the Macau public think the Public Service and those working for it needed improving.
According to the results, 50 per cent of people thought the Commission wasn’t doing enough to fight corruption and an increasing number of people thought most Public Servants lacked integrity, had no self-discipline and only a few were of “quality”.
Although locals said the overall integrity of the Commission was improving, Macau still scored below 60 points, which was the minimum “pass mark”.
The results showed respondents thought Macau's integrity and the Commission’s performance in the fight against corruption had improved in the past 12 months, as its average ratings increased by 2.7 to 59.2 and by 2.3 to 61.8, respectively.
Commissioner Cheong U said that last year, due to a corruption scandal, the CCAC's and Macau’s ratings fell below 60, but had since improved.
There were 402 complaints in the first half of this year, compared to 392 in the same period last year, an increase of 2.55 per cent. Investigations had begun into 20 of these cases.
The Commissioner said last year’s corruption case tainted the image of the local Government and its staff, and as a result Public Servants needed to take more of an effort to change the negative impressions.
Commissioner Cheong said some of the survey results were worrying.
“Sixty per cent of the population think corruption is an intolerable phenomenon,” he said.
The Commissioner said the majority of respondents thought the Government's actions and the fight against corruption had worsened.
Commissioner Cheong said of the 1,000 completed surveys, only 876 were deemed “valid”, 10 per cent of which were tourist opinions.
The survey was conducted in May and June this year, and was aimed at collecting local citizens’ opinions on Macau’s integrity situation, and their attitudes toward CCAC's works.
The CCAC has carried out its own study on whether it would be viable to extend its powers to the private sector, action the Government announced it wanted to consider.
The study has been delivered to the Government, which would look at it before passing it on to lawmakers at the Legislative Assembly for approval.
It was uncertain when the Government would present the Bill to the Assembly.
5 August, 2008
UNITED STATES
US amnesty for illegal migrants
The US Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement has launched a program offering illegal immigrants the chance to avoid jail if they turn themselves in for deportation.
The program is to be trialed in five cities.
Acting Director of Detention and Removal Operations with US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), James Hayes Jr, said the self-deportation program, ‘Operation Scheduled Departure’ would give immigrants up to 90 days to put their affairs in order, and in some cases, leave with their family members.
Mr Hayes said the program was limited to illegal immigrants with no criminal record and who posed no threat to their community or the country.
He estimated as many as 500,000 of the 572,000 illegal immigrants believed to be living in the US in violation of Court orders could be eligible for the program.
However, immigrant advocates have said the plan was a gimmick and was unlikely to reduce the US’s estimated illegal immigrant population of 12 million.
Executive Director of the National Immigration Forum, Ali Noorani, said while Federal raids at workplaces and neighbourhoods had spread fear, there was little incentive for illegal immigrants to go into “permanent exile” or to check in with ICE first if they wished to leave.
Mr Noorani said the offer was a “hare-brained scheme” and “nothing more than a modern-day Trial of Tears”.
Mr Hayes said the program was inspired by critics who accused ICE of using punitive tactics and said that fugitives would surrender themselves.
“This is a great opportunity for those advocacy and faith-based organisations who have asked us to look at other ways to conduct fugitive operations to really step up to the table and bring their clients to us and work with us to schedule their departure,” he said.
Mr Hayes said the pilot would run from until 26 August in San Diego and Santa Ana, California, Phoenix, Chicago and Charlotte.
5 August, 2008
GHANA
Pay review sparks new PS structure
A report on Public Service Pay Reform in Ghana has recommended a new Public Service grading structure which would see Public Servants paid according to an equitable salary system.
The Minister of Public Sector Reform, Samuel Owusu-Agyei, said the Government was committed to helping the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission perform effectively and would review the recommendations for implementation.
Mr Owusu-Agyei assured stakeholders that the Government would initiate the implementation of the policy next year.
He appealed to organised labour to reach out to its members to educate them on all aspects of the new pay policy.
Consultant on the new pay policy and Chief Executive Officer of Co En Consult, Victoria Cooper-Enchia, said proper implementation of the New Policy would lead Ghana to middle income economy in terms of pay by 2015.
Ms Cooper-Enchia said the Government would receive value for money in the Public Sector.
She said the submission of the report marked the beginning of equity in terms of salary and enhanced the improvement of services in the Public Sector.
Chairman of Fair Wages Commission, Aboagye Mensah said the inability of successive Governments to implement similar recommendations had led to discrepancies in Public Sector salaries.
Dr Mensah said demands for fair wages had resulted in strikes and boycotts in many industries.
He assured organised labour that everything possible would be done to ensure the reform was successfully implemented.
5 August, 2008
UNITED STATES
Appointments controversy at Dept of Justice
An investigation by the US Department of Justice’s Office of the Inspector General and its Office of Professional Responsibility has concluded that a Ministerial aide had exercised ‘veto’ power over appointments to a wide range of Departmental positions, approving only those applicants who espoused the values of the US Republican party.
The investigation found the aide sought to cultivate a ‘farm system’ for Republicans at the Justice Department and had asked job candidates for their views on abortion and same-sex marriage.
The report said the staff member had maneuvered around senior officials who outranked her, including the Department’s second-in-command.
The report concluded that the aide and others had broken Public Service laws as well as Department policy and had engaged in misconduct.
It depicted the aide as a central figure in politicising employment decisions, and said she had declined to cooperate with investigators.
Investigators instead interviewed 85 witnesses and scoured documents and computer hard-drives to prepare their report.
Last year the woman had admitted to the House Judiciary Committee that she had “crossed the line” by asking improper questions of job seekers to gauge their political leanings.
However, investigators found reports and accounts from lawyers who worked alongside her provided a more extensive examination of her dominance as the Department's White House liaison and counsellor to the Attorney-General.
The report said 34 job candidates for positions with the Department said the aide or one of her deputies had raised the topic of abortion in their job interview and 21 said they discussed same-sex marriage.
The report found candidates for Public Service jobs were given a form designed for political appointees that sought information on party affiliation and financial contributions.
The 140-page report confirmed there were questions about the reputation of the Justice Department, which had been stirred up since the resignation of 12 top officials last year, including the Attorney General Alberto Gonzales and his Chief of Staff, Kyle Sampson.
The report found Mr Sampson had engaged in misconduct by involving politics in the hiring of immigration judges.
Investigators stopped short of concluding the conduct was of criminal level.
Department lawyers said the deep reach of the political hiring had affected hundreds of rejected job seekers and as many as 40 immigration judges who were recruited under the political criteria.
5 August, 2008
SOUTH AFRICA
Partnership call to improve delivery
The South African Minister for Public Service and Administration has called on the private sector to work closely with the Government to improve PS service delivery.
The Minister, Geraldine Fraser-Moleketi was guest speaker at the Government and Technology Conference (Govtech) in Durban where she called for an end to long lines for assistance at Government Departments.
“Government Departments are struggling with paperwork, and so are citizens,” Ms Fraser-Moleketi said.
“We need to improve service delivery so that citizens can go to any Government Department and be assisted.”
She said the required Information Communication Technology (ICT) was not always available to the Government and that “there was a long road ahead” to achieving the Department's vision.
Chief Executive Officer of the State Information Technology Agency (SITA), Llewellyn Jones said using the communication technology could make a better Government.
“It can also be used to meet challenges faced by a developmental state,” Mr Jones said.
He said Sita was currently focusing on modernising Public Service operations, reducing costs and eliminating the use of paper.
The third annual Govtech conference supported technology experts and Government officials to determine how technology could improve Government services.
5 August, 2008
NIGERIA
World’s best practice for service delivery
The Nigerian Bureau of Public Service Reforms has announced its intention to collaborate with the private sector to introduce world best practices in excellence for its management and service delivery functions.
BPSR Permanent Secretary, Solomon Matankari, said the initiative, which would see collaboration with mainly corporate giants and reputable management centres, was a part of the Bureau’s strategy to tap the experience of the private sector to improve the Public Service.
Mr Matankari said an attainable benchmark for Public Servants had to be set.
In a statement, the Bureau's Deputy Director/Head Department of Communications, Anthonia Ekpa said the strategy would ultimately improve performance and service delivery in the Federal Public Service.
The statement disclosed that the Lagos Business School, Centrifuge Consulting, NIPSS, Chartered Institute of Management and the Institute of Personnel Management were some of the institutions named as partners in the exercise.
“The primary purpose of the strategy is to make the Public Service more responsive to qualitative service delivery in the implementation of Government programs and projects,” Dr Ekpa said.
“It is also aimed at recognising and rewarding positive contributions of Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) as change agents in the implementation of the on-going Public Service reform program.”
Mr Matankari said the BPSR had strengthened the reform program by collaborating with the office of the Head of Service to develop a comprehensive Public Service National reform strategy and review the Human Resource Management policy framework.
Mr Matankari established a technical committee to achieve the goals set out by the collaboration.
The Committee members included: Ajiya Mamman (Chairman), Musa Rabiu, Bayo Ojo, S.I Anyang, B. Abubakar, F Otti, David Gende and A.P. Umoh.
5 August, 2008
FLORIDA
Green power scheme closed down
A green energy scheme in the US State of Florida has been shut down because large amounts of the money collected could not be accounted for.
The Florida Public Service Commission said it shut down Florida Power and Light Co.’s (FP&L’s) Sunshine Energy program because “a big chunk” of the money customers were paying for renewable energy went to administrative costs, salaries, office expenses, business travel, research, marketing and public relations.
The Commission discontinued the program after conducting an audit.
Commissioner Nathan Scop is reported as telling the Palm Beach Post newspaper that 80 per cent of the money was unaccounted for.
Over 38,000 customers paid an additional US$9.95 (A$10.60) a month to participate in the program, which had been subcontracted to Green Mountain Energy.
Green Mountain’s Senior Vice President, Paul Merkovitch, said his company had run the program in an exemplary way.
Mr Merkovitch said the program had delivered on its promise of reducing FP&L customers’ carbon footprints through offsets and renewable energy.
“Our management of the program has been stellar by industry standards,” he said.
“Green Mountain has fulfilled every customer purchase, kilowatt hour for kilowatt hour. In fact, since the program began in 2004, Green Mountain has served more than 1.15 billion kilowatt hours of green power to Sunshine Energy customers.”
Mr Merkovitch said Green Mountain had supported the construction of 450 kilowatts of new solar electric power in Florida.
He said the program had been ranked in the top 10 such programs by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) of the US Department of Energy.