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SearchArchives for November 2009
24 November, 2009JAMAICA GFC prompts PS restructure The Jamaican Public Service is to be restructured and streamlined following the economic pressures resulting from the global financial crisis. During a speech announcing celebrations for Civil Service Week 2009, the Minister of State in the Ministry of Finance and the Public Service, Senator Arthur Williams thanked all Public Servants for their commitment to delivering quality services despite difficult economic circumstances. Senator Williams said the theme of the week was ‘The Civil Servant, Resolute Despite Challenges.’ “The harsh reality confronting the Government is that the size of the Public Sector and the wage bill are two of the biggest challenges to the economy,” Senator Williams said. “Consequently, the Government has had to take the decision to restructure and streamline the Public Sector in order to help restore fiscal prudence and economic stability. “In these challenging economic times, our Civil Servants remain resolute in extending their efforts to meet the demands for crucial public services while doing so with significantly reduced resources.” He said during the week of activities, Public Servants would acknowledge those among them who had withstood many challenges to give long and dedicated service. “Any process of restructuring naturally arouses anxieties and fears,” Senator Williams said. “People feel uncertain about their future and about losing their jobs. “It is my firm intent that alongside any restructuring exercise, there must be implemented strategies to address, minimize and reduce anxiety and fear.” He said he felt burdened by the pending restructuring process and wanted to ensure there was minimal disruption to work processes from the restructure. “Productivity and staff morale are two key elements that must remain at positive levels,” Senator Williams said. “In times such as these, it becomes even more important for Civil Servants to be resolute, despite the challenges faced.” 24 November, 2009 CANADA Finance watchdog fails privacy test Canada’s Privacy Commissioner has told Parliament the country’s financial intelligence unit, Fintrac, had no formal processes to manage risks of privacy breaches and didn’t provide adequate training for staff members. The Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada (Fintrac) is responsible for detecting, preventing and deterring money laundering, terrorist activity financing and other threats to the security of Canada. Privacy Commissioner, Jennifer Stoddart raised the issue in her annual report to Parliament. Commissioner Stoddart said Canada’s financial institutions sometimes reported suspicious transactions to Fintrac based on little more than a person’s ethnic background, leading to potential human rights violations. She said without proper controls to screen information, Fintrac received and kept information beyond its authority from banks “on the basis of unsubstantiated suspicion.” “This is not an insignificant issue,” Commissioner Stoddart said. She cited as examples a bank’s suspicious transaction report after a person cashed a Government cheque for less than $300, and another about a person who deposited a cheque for less than $10,000 because of the person’s ethnic background and a recent vacation to a “particular country.” According to Commissioner Stoddart’s report, Canadian law requires financial institutions to report transactions or fund transfers of $10,000 or more, or “suspicious transactions related to money laundering or terrorist financing” regardless of their size. Commissioner Stoddart said an audit of Fintrac had found problems related to reports made on the basis of unsubstantiated suspicion. “We recommend that Fintrac work with reporting entities to ensure the Centre does not acquire information that it has no legislative authority to receive and that it does not need or use,” she said. Fintrac said it would develop a “destruction plan” to permanently delete any extraneous information in its possession. The Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada was created in 2000 and is an independent agency that reports to the Minister of Finance. 24 November, 2009 MALAYSIA Corruption count includes PS The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission has revealed it detained 605 people on suspicion of corruption during 2008, 46 per cent of whom were Public Servants. Chief Commissioner of MACC, Datuk Seri Ahmad Said Hamdan, said 282 Public Servants had been detained on suspicion of being involved in various forms of corruption. At an anti-corruption and civil service integrity seminar jointly hosted by MACC and the Congress of Unions of Employees in the Public and Civil Services, Mr Ahmad Said said the MACC had received various complaints of corruption and had investigated civilians and private bodies, particularly with regard to attempts to bribe Public Servants. He said following the Government’s and MACC’s efforts to educate the public and Public Servants about corruption and integrity there had been many positive effects. He said many Public Servants had come forward to report attempts to bribe them. “The efforts to fight corruption needs planning and implementation of various policies and programs systematically and continuously,” he said. “The level of awareness regarding the dangers of corruption has to be enhanced from time to time. “We need to handle the question of integrity comprehensively by instilling noble values in all our actions.” Mr Ahmad Said said the seminar had been organised to help government employees understand the law and procedures related to corruption offences. 24 November, 2009 UNITED KINGDOM Performance pay probe An examination of Public Service bonuses in the United Kingdom is to be conducted following criticism of the payouts and claims they were “obscene.” Prime Minister, Gordon Brown said the bonuses would be investigated after it was reported £47million (AU$85 million) had been paid out in performance bonuses while troops on the front line in Afghanistan faced shortages of equipment and low pay. The Public and Commercial Services Union said its members were furious at the attacks on PS pay, saying many Public Servants had to get by on low incomes and received very small bonus payments. Union Representative, Richard de Lange said the Union represented Public Servants working for the Ministry of Defence (MoD) at Wilton Land Forces. Mr de Lange said the pay system was a deal imposed by the MoD as a way of saving money on performance related pay by replacing it with a series of non-pensionable bonuses. “We voted against it but it was introduced anyway,” said Mr de Lange said. “Our members feel that Civil Servants have become an easy target. We work very hard to support our forces, to get the job done, not to try to get a bonus. “People take pride in their work and making them out to benefit from this bonus culture is not at all helpful.” The Union, which has half of Land Forces staff in its membership, said 50 per cent of Civil Servants earned less than £20,000 (AU$36,000) a year and that many were on family benefits due to their low income. The Union said middle ranking Public Servants received between £27,578 and £33,918 (AU$50,000 and $60,000) – significantly less than equivalent service ranks. Staff at Wilton provide support to the Army in accommodation, finance, contracts, equipment, personnel and welfare. Home Secretary, Alan Johnson said MoD civilians did “difficult and sometimes dangerous” jobs, including visiting Afghanistan. An MoD spokesperson said performance pay bonuses were awarded to around 50,000 Public Servants and averaged less than £1,000 (AU$1,800). 24 November, 2009 ZIMBABWE Payroll audit to find fraud An audit of the Zimbabwean Public Service and its payroll has been announced by the Minister for Public Services, Professor Eliphas Mukonoweshuro. Professor Mukonoweshuro said the audit aimed to rid the service of corruption and ‘ghost workers’ and would include a physical count of all Government workers. He said the audit was meant to determine the number of genuine Public Servants in a workforce accused of hosting thousands of supporters of President Robert Mugabe who drew salaries every month without providing any actual service to the country. “We are not going to do a paper or file audit,” Professor Mukonoweshuro said. “We want to see the civil servants physically.” He said there were rumours in the streets that not everyone on the payroll would be vouched for as a bona fide Civil Servant. “This is the intention of this audit and nothing else.” He said the head count was the first ever in the history of Zimbabwe and would involve over 200,000 workers. It will exclude members of the uniformed forces and other security services as they were not covered by the Public Service Act or the Health Services Act. During the exercise, which is expected to conclude on 18 December, all Public Servants must report to their respective pay stations with their birth and academic certificates, letters of appointment, pay-slips and police clearance letters. The payroll and skills audit is being conducted in accordance with a Government Directive issued in April this year empowering the Public Service Ministry to conduct the human resource audit. Professor Mukonoweshuro said the audit would also ensure the Government had knowledge of the status of skills across the board in the Public Service. The Directive established an inter-ministerial committee to carry out the initiative, which is expected to cost around AU$4.3 million. An independent firm of auditors has also been engaged by the Government, but is to be paid for by a fund administered by the Word Bank. 24 November, 2009 IRAQ Conference explores PS reforms A conference on reforming the Iraqi Public Service has been attended by Prime Minister, Nuri Kamal al-Maliki. Mr al-Maliki gave a speech during the opening ceremony, saying the conference was an important part of supporting the country’s Public Service. In his speech the Prime Minister said while the exodus of experts from Iraq in the past had led the Public Sector to deteriorate, he aimed to build up the economy and State administration as professionals began returning. He called for reform to the Public Service and the chance to choose the best people for PS jobs. Mr al-Maliki praised Public Servants who faced the challenge of building Iraq and developing their skills The conference was also attended by Vice President, Adel Abdul Mahdi; Deputy Prime Minister, Rafie al-Issawi; Parliament Speaker, Iyad al-Samarraie and the Ministers of Environment, Health and Education. Mr Abdul Mahdi also addressed the conference, saying the reform of the Public Service system in Iraq was linked to economic reform. “The Iraqi economy is the biggest chamber where the State performs,” he said. The conference was organised by the Iraqi Cabinet’s Advisory Board and held in cooperation with the United States Agency for International Development. United States Ambassador in Iraq, Christopher Hill said Iraq had a “strong economy” and could defend itself but it needed to deal with corruption. “This is a good and significant year for Iraq,” Mr Hill said. “We will see the Iraqi economy progressing well and reaching a steady stage during this year.” 24 November, 2009 UNITED STATES Scholarships to recruit PS high-flyers Scholarship options to attract young people to key positions in the Public Service are being considered by the United States Congress. Under the proposed legislation, students would be offered a full scholarship to cover their university expenses and tuition. To be named the Roosevelt Scholars program, the scheme would offer 50 scholarships a year valued up to no more than $60,000 each. Senator George Voinovich said the Roosevelt Scholars Act would provide the Government with a tool to use in competing with the private sector for the next generation of “top-flight talent.” “Too often, Agencies lack the most important resource in getting the job done -- the right people with the right skills,” Senator Voinovich said. University presidents and former Government Officials have shown their support for the program, saying it would attract top students from leading universities. President and Chief Executive of the nonprofit organisation, Partnership for Public Service said the scholarship program would be key to creating a glow of a talent into the federal government. The legislation would create a nonprofit organisation to choose the scholars, who must be nominated by someone with knowledge of their academic experiences. If Congress passes the legislation as it is now, it will authorise $10 million to establish an endowment that would generate its own interest income. The Bill would apply to undergraduate and graduate students and is similar to the Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) military program. 24 November, 2009 WALES PS head angry at treatment Wales’s top Public Servant has accused Senior Public Servants in Whitehall of displaying a “culture of arrogance” towards their Welsh counterparts and failing to support decentralisation. Permanent Secretary in Cardiff, Dame Gill Morgan said she had to reorganise her top team in an attempt to get Whitehall mandarins to engage with them. “What I have been struck by in my first year as Permanent Secretary is a lack of genuine commitment to devolution and a culture of arrogance in some Whitehall Departments,” Dame Gill said. “In many respects Wales is off the radar in London. I believe the restructuring of our management structure, with the creation of more Directors General, will go some way to tackle that.” In an interview published in the Institute of Welsh Affairs’ journal, Agenda, Dame Gill said it was difficult to achieve an effective dialogue between Public Servants of different grades due to the sector’s strict hierarchical structure. “Our people tend to be taking on responsibilities at two grades below Civil Servants in London with the same functions and tend to be 10 to 15 years younger,” she said. “It’s easy for people in England to stereotype us as the weaker partner. I want us to stop England seeing us as the younger sister or brother.” Dame Gill said she had tried countering the “superior attitude” of Whitehall mandarins by reorganising her team to contain eight Directors General, each of whom had the status of a Deputy Permanent Secretary. She said the changes resulted in six fewer senior posts and savings of £500,000 (AU$900,000) a year. Director of the Wales Governance Centre at Cardiff University, Professor Richard Wyn Jones supported Dame Gill, saying Whitehall had a history of arrogance towards the Welsh Assembly Government. “What is quite surprising is someone of Dame Gill’s status saying something like this on the record” Professor Jones said. A Wales Office spokesman addressed Dame Gill’s assertion that Whitehall mandarins were not in support of decentralisation, saying work to improve the understanding of devolution across Whitehall would continue. “The Wales Office is working closely with colleagues in the Welsh Assembly Government, Ministry of Justice and Cabinet Office to ensure effective working between Civil Servants in Wales and Whitehall,” the spokesperson said. 24 November, 2009 UNITED KINGDOM PS honoured for GFC response Frontline Public Servants from the United Kingdom have been honoured for their part in fighting the recession. The Fourth Annual Civil Service Awards recognised Public Servants across 12 categories with awards for outstanding performance. Cabinet Secretary and Head of the Home Civil Service, Sir Gus O’Donnell presented JobCentre Plus with a special award to recognise the work staff members undertook to help thousands of people find work. “All the winners are brilliant but it is a particular pleasure to present the overall team prize to JobCentre Plus,” Sir Gus said. “In a year when the demand on the services they provide has soared, their work has been outstanding. “Dedicated Jobcentre Plus advisors and officials all over the country have gone above and beyond helping 5,000 people find work every day.” First Secretary of State and Secretary of State for Business Innovation and Skills, Lord Mandelson said the Awards showcased the achievements of “skilled individuals” who delivered services to the public. “The winners remind us of the hard work Civil Servants around the country are doing every day, such as JobCentre Plus staff, dealing with the local consequences of the global recession and making sure everyone has the help they need,” Lord Mandelson said. Permanent Secretary at the Department for Work and Pensions, Leigh Lewis said he was “utterly delighted” JobCentre Plus had been recognised for its “quite remarkable achievements over the past year” in supporting its customers through the recession. “This will be seen by everyone in JobCentre Plus, and more widely in the Department, as a tremendous recognition of their achievements and commitment,” Mr Lewis said. Other winners at the awards included a Unit in the Islamabad High Commission working to bring an end to forced marriages for British citizens and a group of staff at HM Revenue and Customs who had improved PAYE processes for customers. 24 November, 2009 SOUTH AFRICA Call to fight corruption The President of South Africa, Jacob Zuma has ordered his Cabinet to come up with a plan that would stamp out corruption and fraud in the country rather than simply making “empty promises.” A report conducted by the Public Service Commission (PSC) on corruption in the Public Service prompted the President to demand action. Cabinet Spokesman, Themba Maseko said a team of Ministers, headed by the Minister in the Presidency, Collins Chabane, was expected to present a concrete strategy in January 2010. “We want to deal decisively with the perception that corruption is on the rise in the country and this committee will be set up to do all that is necessary to ensure decisive action is taken against all those involved in corruption,” Mr Maseko said. The team is expected to include Minister for Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Sicelo Shiceka; Minister for Public Service and Administration, Richard Baloyi; Minister for Finance, Pravin Gordhan; and the Minister for Social Development, Edna Molewa. “South Africa takes very strong exception to corruption as this is a matter that has a negative impact on the country’s reputation,” Mr Maseko said. He said the team would focus mostly on corruption and fraud in the Public Service. He said part of the team’s brief would be to ensure there was “concrete action” on recommendations instead of the reports merely being tabled and no further steps taken. Mr Maseko said in the past, top Public Servants had routinely failed to act on recommendations made by the Auditor-General or PSC. He said the team would also review other countries’ efforts to deal with corruption. 24 November, 2009 And From the World in Brief... JAPAN The new President of Japan’s National Personnel Authority has identified his first task as looking at ways to cut Public Servants’ wages. A Bill to that effect has been introduced into Parliament with the pay cuts to be made before 1 December 2009. Takeshi Erikawa was named President of the Authority at an extraordinary Cabinet meeting. The Authority sets working conditions for national public servants and other oversees personnel matters. IRELAND Ireland’s Deputy Prime Minister, Tánaiste Mary Coughlan has criticised Public Service strike against against cuts to PS wages. Ms Coughlan said it was not “constructive”. She said discussions between the Government, employers and Unions needed to continue instead. SOUTH SUDAN The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting in south Sudan is to set up a new news agency to cover areas of the south that receive little mainstream media coverage. President Salva Kiir endorsed the idea at a Cabinet meeting in October. The news agency has been welcomed and will fund the training of journalists and promote free expression. UNITED STATES The US Preventive Services Task Force has recommended women start having mammograms at 50 instead of 40 and discouraged undertaking breast self-examinations. The Government panel, which issues federal recommendations on preventative medicine, said screening for breast cancer at 40 did not save many lives and caused more harm than good due to overtreatment. The Task Force said mammography for younger women had a high rate of false positives which could trigger unnecessary biopsies, painful treatment and mental anguish. INDIA India’s aviation regulator has released guidelines on the operation of State Government helicopters and aircraft. All States have agreed to adhere to the guidelines as there are no regulations for operating aircraft and many State Governments have aircraft registered under normal and passenger categories. Under the guidelines the States will be required undergo safety audits and update safety resources and facilities. 17 November, 2009 NEW ZEALAND Stats show PS growth stalled Growth in the New Zealand Public Service has been halted according to the Minister of State Services, Tony Ryall. Mr Ryall said a report into Public Service capabilities, Human Resources Capability Survey 2009, showed the PS was “heeding the Government’s call for wage restraint and a smaller core Government administration.” He said the Survey was released by the State Services Commission and reported a decline in the number of Public Servants since December 2008. He said it also showed that growth in PS wages had slowed. “From 2000, the number of Public Servants grew by 54 per cent, and every year their base salaries increased on average by 4.5 per cent” he said. “That kind of growth is untenable in the current economic situation. “That’s why earlier this year the Government set a cap on the number of staff in core Government administration as at 31 December 2008 and released Government’s Expectations for State Sector Pay and Conditions.” Mr Ryall said for the year the survey covered there had been an overall increase of 2.5 per cent in the number of Public Servants, with annual growth driven by a four per cent rise in the second half of 2008. However, he said the number of full time equivalent Public Servants decreased by 1.4 per cent in the six months to 30 June 2009. “Together with the capping figures the Government released in September, the data confirms that the growth in the bureaucracy has been halted,” Mr Ryall said. According to the national Labour Cost Index (LCI), while the average base salary in the Public Service increased by 5.3 percent in 2008/09, most of the annual PS wage growth occurred between July 2008 and December 2008. He said the recently released LCI showed wage growth in the September quarter for the core Public Service was 0.2 percent compared with 0.4 per cent in the private sector. “The Government has been quite clear in communicating its expectations of restraint to the Public Service, and these latest figures show that message has been understood and is being actioned,” Mr Ryall said. 17 November, 2009 UNITED KINGDOM Decentralisation is new PS plan Handing control the Public Service to local groups and charities is a cornerstone of new PS policy outlined by the Leader of the Conservative Opposition in the United Kingdom, David Cameron. Mr Cameron set out his vision for the future of the UK Public Service, saying under a Conservative Government, Public Service bodies such as hospitals, schools, housing organisations and social care providers would be allowed to take control of their own affairs if staff and users were in favour of the transformation. He said the initiative would allow teachers and parents to have input into how their schools were run and would give nurses and patients the opportunity to be involved in how hospitals and trusts were governed. Mr Cameron said he would also like to see employee partnership models created within the National Health Service to improve staff engagement and patient care. He said he wanted to encourage the spirit of community by helping parents form new schools and attend police beat meetings. Mr Cameron said the State should be “rolled back” to encourage involvement by community groups and to cut services provided by Local Councils to the bone. The approach has been termed the “easyCouncil” model after the no-frills airline easyJet. Secretary of State for the Cabinet Office, Tessa Jowell has supported similar ideas in Government, saying Public Service reform had travelled far over the past 10 years. “The next stage of reform has to capture the needs and wishes of those who use public services, for them to become more reactive, sensitive and empathetic,” Ms Jowell said. “We think mutuals have a much broader potential across the public sector, especially now where they can become an expression of the new national soul post-credit crunch.” A Senior Government official said the Government needed to “explore the space around voluntary and community provision and social enterprise: more bottom-up, greater devolution of power but within a clear framework of funding and guarantees for the individual citizen.” 17 November, 2009 INDIA Call to overhaul PS recruitment India’s Public Service Commission has called for an overhaul of PS recruitment and examination processes to increase the quality of the sector. The Union PSC (UPSC) has proposed the Government replace preliminary examinations with an aptitude test comprising of two papers and decrease the number of attempts candidates can make at gaining entry to the PS. Chairman of the UPSC, Professor D.P. Agrawal said the Commission also believed promotions should be based on a competitive examination and interview rather than the current process of assessing confidential annual reports. “The emphasis will be on testing the aptitude of the candidate for the demanding life in the civil service as well as on the ethical and moral dimensions of decision-making,” Professor Agrawal said. He said the Civil Services Examination was an all-India level screening to recruit officers for administrative, police, foreign and allied services. The Commission receives around a million applications for 14 examinations and other recruitment tests every year, of which about 5,000 officers are selected. Professor Agrawal said he believed reducing the number of attempts candidates could make at joining the PS would remove cramming and learning by rote. He said currently the preliminary examination has two papers- general studies carrying 150 marks and an optional paper carrying 300 marks. He said the UPSC wanted to replace these with an aptitude test having two objective-type papers common to all candidates. In recommendations it sent to the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, the UPSC said the changes would also provide a level-playing field for candidates. At present, the maximum number of attempts allowed to a general candidate is four while seven are given to candidates from rural backgrounds. Professor Agrawal said applying the new methods to recruitment and promoting officers from the State to national level would have the “salutary effect of encouraging competition and privileging merit.” “Such a system could, in time, be extended to promotions within the central services as well,” he said. “The Commission may also be kept apprised of the feedback so that this can be factored into the selection process for future entrants. “The Commission also is contemplating moving to examination through computers, once this step is approved by the Government.” Former Chief Information Commissioner, Wajahat Habibullah said the recommendations were “very good”. “The civil services examination should be made simpler to bring out the abilities of the candidates rather than giving higher importance to rote learning,” Mr Habibullah said. 17 November, 2009 UNITED STATES Crackdown on political appointees The Office of Personnel Management has announced it will crack down on political appointees “burrowing” into Public Service positions. In a memorandum to Agency Heads, Director of OPM, John Berry said from 2010 all Agencies must get permission from his office before giving current or recent political appointees competitive or non-political excepted service positions. Mr Berry said the new rules would help protect the merit system from politicisation and would apply to jobs at all levels. He said the increased scrutiny was designed to prevent a practice known as “burrowing in”, where Agencies allow appointees to remain in Government at the end of an administration by giving them career jobs without making them go through a fully competitive application process. “In light of the historical origins of the civil service system, OPM’s role as guardian of the merit system is especially important when a Federal Agency selects a political appointee for a position in the civil service,” Mr Berry said. Under the current rules, the OPM only needs to approve appointments of political appointees into competitive service positions if it is an election year or the appointee is transferring to a Senior Executive Service position. From 1 January, career senior executives at OPM will review political appointees to ensure they are qualified, don’t violate Public Service law and “avoid any hint of political influence.” Mr Berry said political appointees must be treated the same as other applicants. “While political appointees may not be excluded from consideration for Federal jobs because of their political affiliation, they must not be given preference or special advantages,” he said. “I believe we must hold ourselves and the Government to a higher standard, one that honors and supports the President’s strong commitment to a Government that is transparent and open.” Former political appointees who have been out of their position for at least five years will not need to be reviewed by OPM. 17 November, 2009 SOUTH AFRICA New rules to combat PS corruption New policies to tackle government corruption have been unveiled in South Africa. The Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Sicelo Shiceka said the new policies would require Public Servants to cut their outside business interests or risk being banned from the Sector. “You cannot have outside business interests and work for the State,” Mr Shiceka said. “It is a choice. You either work for the State or do business. “You can’t have both.” He said additional proposals had been put forward suggesting Public Servants wanting to join the private sector serve a cooling-off period. According to media reports, Mr Shiceka said Cabinet was concerned at how many of its employees were using the bureaucracy to develop personal business interests. He is expected to present policies to address the issue in 2010. He raised the issue on the sidelines of a briefing to Parliament’s Public Service and Administration Committee. He said moonlighting had to be outlawed but cautioned a cooling-off period was needed as Government couldn’t “infringe” on people’s right to engage in economic activity. The Public Service Commission estimated between 45 per cent and 72 per cent of senior managers in the Public Service were involved in directorships and partnerships that “could result in conflicts of interest.” Mr Shiceka said the problem of conflict was caused by the Government’s inability to keep track of business interests, shareholding and directorships of its Public Servants and their families rather than regulation or inadequately secured information systems. Director General of the Department of Public Service and Administration, Richard Levin, told the Parliamentary Committee that the rate of disclosure - which was obligatory - was actually worsening. “If only 69 per cent of Directors General are now submitting disclosures, this must raise concerns about the example being set as well as the level of compliance for lower-ranking officials,” Mr Levine said. “This places the civil service at serious risk.” 17 November, 2009 IRELAND PS strike set to go ahead Public Service Union leaders in Ireland have declared it will take a “huge effort” to put a stop to the strike scheduled for 24 November to protest against cuts to Public Service wages. Speaking at a meeting of the Public Services Committee of the Irish congress of Trade Unions, the General Secretary of Impact, Peter McLoone warned that unions and the Government were “on a trajectory to conflict.” Mr McLoone said he expected a “substantial number” of unions to take part in the strike as he did not anticipate an agreement would be reached in time to avert the proposed strike. He said little progress had been made in talks between unions and the Government on its plan to reduce the State’s payroll by €1.3 billion (AUD2.1 billion). Mr McLoone said unions had expected to receive details of the Government’s plans for transforming public services in the years ahead, information on the amount already contributed by staff and a menu of options for cutting the wage bill by next year. He said they had not yet received the information they were after, but anticipated it would be delivered within a week. Mr McLoone said the Government needed to provide clarity on its future plans for the public service and how they would affect staff. Unions are still in talks with the Government on an alternative to the plan to generate the €1.3 billion savings on the public sector pay bill by means of pay cuts, but that there was no date set for the discussions to continue. Mr McLoone said those who provided public services were determined “that the Government would not be allowed to simply announce reductions in pay, changes in pensions and maybe even the operation of compulsory redundancies without there being a response from them.” He said the Irish Congress of Trade Unions was resolved to protect the pay of all staff in the Public Service, including nurses, who had voted by a margin of more than four to one in favour of taking industrial action. The Irish Nurses’ Organisation (INO) said the mandate it obtained in the ballot would ensure it was fully involved with all PS trade unions “in whatever level and duration of industrial action is necessary to defend our members from any further unilateral cuts in their pay and conditions of employment.” 17 November, 2009 THAILAND PS joins efforts to improve country Public Servants in Thailand have offered their services to help overcome political interference in the Public Service. Around 50 Permanent Secretaries, including the Secretary of the Office of the Prime Minister, and current and retired officials have held discussions on how to help improve Thailand. Former Permanent Secretary at the Office of the Prime Minister, Chulayuth Hiranyavasit said the group had decided to cooperate by founding a “solid and strong institution of Civil Servants.” Mr Chulayuth said the group planned to form a committee and was in the process of looking for people to sit on it. He said the Committee would issue statements and voice opinions of issues concerning the country. “Currently, the role of Civil Servants is very limited,” Mr Chulayuth said. “Since the country is so divided, we think we can use our long experience to help the country. “We should make our voices be heard by society.” He said the new association would have more strength than the Civil Service Association, which did not have any former Permanent Secretaries as members. Thailand has a history of Public Servants trying to overcome political interference in the Sector, and includes a group who called for the resignation of then President Somchai Wongsawat. Mr Chulayuth said the group which met informally included current and retired C11 officials including former Defence Ministry Permanent Secretary and former Secretary-General of the Council for National Security (CNS). Civil servants constitute one of the biggest workforces in Thailand with around 2 million across the country. 17 November, 2009 NIGERIA Senior staff warned on tenure Newly appointed Permanent Secretaries in the Nigerian Public Service have been warned their four-year tenures could be terminated within six months if they fail to meet expectations. Head of Service of the Federation, Steve Oronsaye, said completion of the initial four-year tenure for all senior staff would be based on satisfactory performance. Mr Oronsaye said the Permanent Secretaries would be continuously assessed and urged them to view their appointment as an opportunity to contribute to the development of Nigeria. “The vigorous exercise that led to your being appointed has gone further to show that this position is not for all-comers but for those who are prepared to offer true service to the nation,” he said. He expressed his satisfaction with the conduct of the new Permanent Secretaries during an induction program, saying it indicated the seriousness they intended to bring to their work. The induction program was arranged to give the new appointments an insight into the expectations of the office and equip them to tackle the challenges ahead. At the induction, the new Permanent Secretaries made a number of recommendations on the conduct of work in the Public Service, including the need for ethical and integrity training for Public Servants; the need for a retreat for Ministers, Permanent Secretaries and other relevant positions; and the need to streamline the roles and responsibilities of a number of Agencies. The induction was also attended by serving Permanent Secretaries, who used the opportunity to share their experiences with the new ones. After a review of the lessons learnt during the induction program the newly appointed permanent secretaries made some recommendations on the conduct of work in the civil service. 17 November, 2009 NORTHERN IRELAND PS backpay bill hits £150 million Thousands of low-paid Public Servants in Northern Ireland are expected to benefit from a cash payout of up to £150 million (AU$269 million) after a deal was struck on back pay, according to the Minister for Finance, Sammy Wilson. Mr Wilson said the Executive would have to find a way to make the payments which were the result of an equal pay issue dating back many years. The union representing the staff, the Northern Ireland Public Service Alliance (NIPSA) has undertaken months of intense negotiations and is to be made a formal offer after it is ratified by Stormont Ministers. Up to 13,000 low-grade, primarily female, Public Servants are in line for the compensation, although they are unlikely to receive any money until 2010. The £150 million deal is set to go before the Executive where it is expected to be approved. Following the deal’s approval, NIPSA will consult members on the offer and instigate a ballot. Over 5,000 individual equal pay claims are pending before the industrial tribunals system, which could also take some time. Mr Wilson said he would recommend the package to his Executive colleagues and that he believed the issue would be dealt with at their regular fortnightly meeting. “Like other pressures on the budget it is something we are going to have to deal with,” he said. “But the fact is we had a legal obligation to pay this money and there was no way I could tell other Ministers how much it will cost until negotiations were finalised.” Mr Wilson said he believed it was the best settlement the Executive could hope for. “Some of my Executive colleagues may argue I could have negotiated harder but I would have to commend the amount of work and time my officials have put into this and I also know that members of the union are keen for this to be settled.” General Secretary of NIPSA, John Corey said he wanted the employees who were owed back pay to receive their money as soon as possible. “The fact is that this is a matter of law, Ministers have recognised there is a requirement to reach agreement on this and once we have a formal offer we will consult with our membership and go for a ballot, which could take about a month,” Mr Corey said. 17 November, 2009 And From the World in Brief... UNITED KINGDOM Calls from the UK Opposition to reform the Public Service by opening it up to people with business experience have been supported by Chief of Rolls-Royce, Sir John Rose. Sir John said the reforms would help regenerate the economy in the wake of the financial crisis and allow the Public Service to adapt to an increasingly competitive world. He called on the Public Service and universities to do more with State money spent on science and technology and to sharpen the way they approached wealth creation. GUYANA A dispute over a parcel of land in Guyana has seen the Government and the Guyana Public Service Union both claim to own the same piece of land. The GPSU claimed the Government gave them the land 40 years ago to build a recreational facility for Public Servants, and that they had been paying its rates and taxes ever since. The Government claimed the parcel of land was leased for a brief period in 2008 by the Guyana Lands and Surveys commission and that the lease was relinquished to the Commission this year. INDIA The President of India, Pratibha Patil has expressed concerns over corruption in the Public Service, saying it had deprived India of better infrastructure and facilitates. “For example, corruption in the public distribution system means food meant for the poorer sections of society is not reaching them and as a result the national objective of removing poverty and hunger suffers,” President Patil said. She also highlighted problems with accountability among Public Servants and stressed the need for transparency. MOZAMBIQUE The General Director of the Electoral Administration Technical Secretariat in Mozambique, Felisberto Naife has denied claims many of the electoral registers used during elections in October were forged. Mr Naife said claims by the Opposition that registers had been “falsified” and the names of opposition supporters deliberately omitted were untrue. He admitted that some voters’ names were left off the lists by mistake, but emphasised it was due to human error and was not a deliberate attempt to exclude citizens from the voters’ roll. 10 November, 2009 IRELAND OECD calls for PS jobs to go The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has called on the Irish Government to cut the number of Public Servants on the State payroll and slash their salaries as well. The call was made as the Government was already looking at a three- to five-year restructuring of the Public Service, involving reduced numbers, new reforms and productivity measures as an alternative to pay cuts. It indicated, however, that “bridging mechanisms” would be needed next year to cover the gap before the savings would take effect. The possibility of such a two-stage alternative to pay cuts emerged at talks between Department of Finance officials and trade unions on the Government’s plans to cut the public sector pay bill by €1.3 billion ($A2.10 billion) next year. Unions are seeking an alternative to cuts in pay for the 300,000-plus staff on the State payroll. Representative of the Irish Nurses Organisation, David Hughes said that as part of possible scenarios Department officials had spoken of a plan for restructuring and savings. He said that even with such a plan the Department would have to address the situation in 2010. He said Department of Finance officials had suggested that some of the bridging mechanisms could be “permanent in nature while others might lapse”. The Government officials indicated that as part of any restructuring, cuts in numbers would not be enough and productivity improvements would be needed too. Commentators believe that to save €1.3 billion in savings, the PS workforce would need to be slashed by 30,000. The OECD has forecast that the Irish economy will shrink by 2.4 per cent in 2010, an estimate worse than expected since its original prediction was a 1.5 per cent contraction. The report also points to falling prices and private sector wages and calls for cuts in unemployment benefits and better measures to prevent people becoming long-term unemployed. It also says Ireland’s minimum wage of €8.65 ($A14.10) an hour is high, and should be reviewed annually. The report also targets health spending, class sizes at secondary schools and calls for the reintroduction of third level tuition fees. 10 November, 2009 UNITED KINGDOM Business leaders to pass skills to PS The Opposition Conservative Party in Britain plans to draft leaders from the UK’s biggest private companies into the Public Service to shake up Departmental management and transform the PS culture. The plans, which are being drawn up by Shadow Minister for the Cabinet Office, Francis Maude and other senior party officials, will see business non-executive directors sit on Departmental boards, giving them a direct role in the running of at least some Departments. A party official insisted that the plan was not a “business takeover of Whitehall”, but said there was “no point having these people if the jobs are going to be just symbolic”. A Conservative Party spokesman said the Public Service had been in need of reform for decades, especially in areas such as procurement, service delivery and productivity. “Now the party is taking the bull by the horns by saying that business representatives are crucial to improving public sector productivity and delivery,” the spokesman said. “The only way to make Whitehall and the Civil Service more professional is to bring in private sector disciplines, and who best to lead the way than those who enforce it in the business world.” As part of their Public Service reorganisation, the Tories also want to break-up some ‘Super Departments’, most notably the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills. “The Tories are also looking at splitting up some of the Whitehall empires,” the party spokesman said. “[Conservative Party Leader] David Cameron wants to limit the amount of Departmental restructuring to minimise disruption to the formidable work program facing next year’s incoming Government.” He said however that at least one Department looked to be a “creature of its Minister.” 10 November, 2009 UNITED STATES Call to reinvigorate HR system The Director of the United State’s Office of Personnel Management, John Berry, has revealed plans to “reinvigorate” and “unshackle” the Federal Public Service human resources system to bring its pay, recruiting, retention and dismissal practices into line with those of big business. In a speech to students at Syracuse University, Mr Berry said the Public Service hiring system was broken. He also wanted to get rid of the General Schedule pay system, widen the Senior Executive Service bonus scheme to all employees and make training of managers and employees the utmost priority. “The Federal Government does a pathetic job with training,” Mr Berry said. “Outside of the Defense Department, we spend next to nothing on training. It’s shameful.” He said training instilled a culture of mentoring and nurturing up-and-coming staffers in offices. He wants the Federal appraisal system and career ladders to be broken down into three categories: Apprentice, Journey-Level and Expert, evaluating the entire person and their skills, not tying them to a specific position. “We don’t want hiring managers to be paralysed by the thought that they’re hiring people for life,” he said. “Maybe the entire Apprentice stage should be probationary or maybe the probationary period is shorter, but instead we require an affirmative step to keep someone on at the end of their probation instead of automatically tenuring them,” he said. Mr Berry also called for independent performance review boards to determine when the employee is ready to move from Apprentice to Journey level or Journey level to Expert. He floated the idea of a results-only work environment saying the approach would “treat employees like responsible adults” and would include alternative work schedules, tele-work and other flexibilities. “It would eliminate the classification system that parses the grades and steps and attempts to define every job in great detail,” he said. “The classification system was designed with a noble purpose - to ensure equal pay for equal work. And that is a core value to which we must pay great deference,” he said “But when it prevents managers from adapting their job responsibilities to the ever-shifting responsibilities of their Departments, it becomes a millstone.” Mr Berry said the classification system no longer protected equal pay, but limited the flexibilities of managers to define jobs and promote the most qualified people quickly. 10 November, 2009 SOUTH AFRICA Major changes for public broadcasting The South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) has set up a task force to evaluate the implications of proposed major legislative changes to the nation’s Public Service Broadcasting regime. The SABC said in a statement that it acknowledged the changes in a draft Bill to come before Parliament and recognised it was still in a developmental state. The draft legislation seeks, among other things, to abolish TV licences and secure the SABC’s funding from other sources. It is intended to align the broadcasting system with the country’s development goals. It provides for the establishment of a Public Service Broadcasting Fund to provide revenue and calls for an international broadcasting services division to be set up. The Bill also seeks revision of the composition of the SABC Board, including the introduction of a performance management system for members. The Bill has drawn criticism from within the broadcasting industry, with claims that it is giving the Minister of Communication over-reaching powers. Co-chair of the South African Screen Federation, Feizel Mamdoo said the theme of public broadcast alignment to the State’s developmental goals was an attempt to impose the agendas of municipalities on to community broadcast services. “This will rob community broadcasters of independence in their representation of the complex, often competing, issues and interests that are involved in local development,” Mr Mamdoo said. Spokesperson for the Save Our SABC Coalition, Kate Skinner said the new Bill was a complete repeal of the Broadcasting Act. She said the Bill had the very real potential to create a genuine three-tiered broadcasting media, namely commercial, public and community broadcasting. “What is worrying, though, is that there are a number of clauses which could result in a loss of independence,” Ms Skinner said. 10 November, 2009 UNITED KINGDOM Report shows PS cost surge A report from the UK Office for National Statistics has revealed that the cost of the British public sector increased by 13.7 per cent in the 10 years to 2007, but productivity fell 3.4 per cent in the same period. Pay rises in health and education “account for a substantial part of the rise,” the report said. The report, Changing Costs of Public Services, covers public sector inflation only up to 2007, after which productivity increased. It found the biggest cost increases were in schools, where the cost of education rose 24.4 per cent more than the overall economy driven by big rises in teachers’ pay. Health care costs rose by 13.6 per cent more than the economy as a whole, the study found. “This is partly explained by new contractual arrangements, which were intended to encourage recruitment, improve incentives and reduce what were thought to be excessive hours worked in some parts of health care, hence improving quality of care,” the report said. “Some part of the explanation of the rise in labour costs lies in a deliberate policy to improve recruitment to teaching with the aim of increasing the skills of the workforce.” It believed that the policy would actually improve the quality of education. Chief Executive of the TaxpayersPayers Alliance, Matthew Elliott said the report showed that huge amounts of taxpayers’ money poured into the public sector had been wasted. The Alliance is a lobby group campaigning for lower taxes. 10 November, 2009 MALAYSIA Task force to probe corruption The Prime Minister of Malaysia, Najib Abdul Razak is to appoint a special task force to resolve major failings in the country’s Public Service uncovered in a damning report from the Auditor-General. The PM has ordered the Chief Secretary to the Government, Sidek Hassan to head a high-powered task force to get to the bottom of the problems. Auditor General, Ambrin Buang is to play a on the panel which also includes Secretary General of the Treasury, Wan Abdul Aziz Wan Abdullah and Director General of the Public Services Department, Ismail Adam. The Prime Minister said Attorney General, Abdul Gani Patail and the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission would be called to join “if necessary”. “The task force will ensure that nobody gets away with it over any misappropriation of funds or abuse of power,” Mr Najib said. He said the Cabinet felt that serious action was needed against those involved to ensure that matters like abuse of power and misappropriation do not repeatedly appear in the annual report. ”I want to state that the reason is not to launch a witch hunt but to identify those who intentionally and openly committed offences,” he said “We [the Cabinet] felt that they should not be allowed to go without having any action taken against them. It will not necessarily be legal action. They might face administrative action like surcharge, demotion, having their promotions frozen or be transferred.” He said te task force would study the irregularities in stages, starting with cases where there were clear signs of abuse of power or misappropriation. “Let’s be realistic. There cannot be absolute zero corruption but if we show seriousness, I believe we can bring the numbers down considerably,” The Prime Minister said. He promised the Government would be fair and act compassionately if there were mitigating factors that led to the actions of the offenders. 10 November, 2009 INDIA Bodyguards for PS in troubled areas Assigning bodyguards to Community Development Officers in parts of India’s West Bengal State to protect against political violence has divided the local Public Service’s two main unions. The State Government said it would provide the security after the recent abduction of the officer in charge of the town of Sankaril and subsequent intelligence that more such abductions could be carried out by Naxalites, a far-left radical group committed to overthrowing the Government by violent means. While one Public Service union said it wanted more officers to be protected by State security, another one said the present arrangement was enough and that no security would prevent attacks in the most remote parts of the State. There are 342 Community Development Officers in West Bengal with 70 posted in the three Naxal-hit districts. Home Secretary, Ardhendu Sen, said 10 of the officers would be provided with armed escorts. However, an official of the West Bengal State Civil Service Association, Sutanu Prasad Kar said with 70 officers in need of protection, providing security to 10 was inadequate. President of the West Bengal Civil Service (Executive) Officers Association, Pradip Jana disagreed, saying that the measure was adequate for the moment. “We are sure the Government will provide security for more officers if needed,” Mr Jana said. Meanwhile, the State government plans to spend Rs1,600 crore ($A370 million) this financial year on the development of the three districts most affected by the Naxalites - West Midnapore, Bankura and Purulia, even though officials conceded that they were facing difficulties working there. Chief Minister, Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee is to hold crucial meetings in West Midnapore on the prevailing law and order situation and will make a review of the development schemes. 10 November, 2009 NIGERIA Speaker blames PS for finance woes Accusations by the Speaker of the Nigerian House of Representatives that the Public Service is responsible for the nation’s financial crisis have been rejected by a former Head of the PS and now Secretary to the Government, Yayale Ahmed. Mr Ahmed said it was wrong of the Speaker, Dimeji Bankole, to label Public Servants as corrupt. Mr Bankole had accused the Public Service of failing to implement the yearly Budget and not remitting more than N1 trillion ($A6.75 billion) in internally generated revenue. “The Civil Servants themselves gave us this figure between N750 billion ($A5.4 billion) and N1trillion unremitted funds. If we investigate, we will find out that those figures are conservative,” Mr Bankole said. The Speaker later retracted his comments after a number of protests, including one from Mr Ahmed, who said he knew “most Civil Servants are upright and patriotic.” Speaking to representatives of the Nigeria Civil Service Union, he said the Service was blessed with courageous and patriotic professionals who were a bulwark in the war against corruption. He urged Public Servants to be creative in resisting and fighting corruption and to intensify the war on the “cankerworm” in the interest of national development. Mr. Bankole appeared to retract his retraction against the Public Service when his spokesperson rejected some media reports which said he criticised the Executive and his immediate predecessor, Aminu Masari. The spokesperson, Ebpmhiana Musa said that while it was true that Mr Bankole had agonised over the issue of serial non-implementation of Budgets and placed the blame squarely on the Public Servants, at no point did he attack or indict the executive or Alhaji Bello Masari, his predecessor in office. Mr Musa said the Speaker’s speech at the end of the House debate on President Umaru Yar’adua’s fiscal paper, actually exonerated the Executive and the Legislature from blame in the non-implementation of the Budget. 10 November, 2009 GHANA PS urged to be more professional The Directors of Government Agencies and Departments in Ghana have been called on to adopt more professional standards by the Acting Head of the Local Government Service (LGS), Kwasi Oppong Owusu. Mr Oppong Owusu said higher standards would strengthen the professionalism of directors and managers who should work strictly according to the Public and Civil Service Acts and not to dance to the tune of politicians. He was speaking at the opening of a workshop on a better Local Service Delivery Program for Municipal and District Chief Executives, Coordinating Directors, Directors of Education and Heads of Departments and Agencies. Mr Owusu observed that the presentations at the Ghana @ 50 probe where District Coordinating Directors and other Public Servants could not account for their stewardships, was clearly a manifestation of the lack of professionalism and capacity to deal with situations on their part. Development was the only means through which the well-being and standard of living of the people could be improved and for that reason, those in charge of administering it must live up to that expectation. “The technocrats and administrators put in charge must also have the capacity to manage funds and regulate activities for the benefit of the people and for proper rendition of accounts when called to do so,” Mr Oppong Owusu said. Coordinator of the Local Service Delivery and Governance Program (LSDGP), Nana Dwamena Agyekum said it was being funded in five regions and 44 districts including eight in the Eastern Region. He urged districts receiving the funds to ensure they were used judiciously for the benefit of the people within the agreed time frame. 10 November, 2009 And From the World in Brief... IRELAND The Review Body on Higher Remuneration in the Public Sector has recommended pay cuts of up to 15 per cent for senior Public Servants. A spokesperson for Minister for Finance, Brian Lenihan said the Minister had not yet had an opportunity to study the report in detail before presenting it to his Ministerial colleagues. However, Mr Lenihan had previously suggested that senior Public Service posts may be “overpriced”; that expenditure had to be reduced and the example for this had to come from the top. CANADA Public sector workers in Ontario may soon be forced to take unpaid holidays. The so-called ‘Dalton Days’ named after Premier, Dalton McGuinty came after the Premier said Public Servants had so far been sheltered from the global recession. “They will now be asked to shoulder some of the financial burden the Government is under,” Mr McGuinty said. Ontario will post a $C24.7 billion ($A25.25 billion) deficit this year, the biggest in its history. UNITED STATES The celebration of November as Military Family Month has been made official by President Barack Obama. The President called on all Americans to honour military families through private actions and public service. He included the parents of service members in his message, as well as spouses and children. “As sons and daughters, husbands and wives, and mothers and fathers are deployed, military families endure with exceptional resilience and courage,” he said. CANADA Nova Scotia’s latest Disclosure of Wrongdoing (Whistleblowing) Reportindicates that three disclosures of potential wrongdoing were received by Deputy Public Service Heads. Two were investigated with no finding of wrongdoing and the third is still in the process of resolution. The Civil Service Disclosure of Wrongdoing Regulations and Policy has been in place since 2004 and provides a process for Public Servants to disclose potential wrongdoing in the workplace. NORWAY An e-business agreement has been signed by Difi, the Norwegian Agency for Public Sector Management and e-Government, and the purchasing solutions specialist IBX. The four year agreement means IBX will operate Difi’s e-business platform called Ehandel.no. Through this project, public sector entities and their providers can track spending and purchase goods in a more secure, user-friendly and cost-effective manner. Some 80 public sector entities in Norway, including Local Governments, County Councils and Government Departments, will use the service. 3 November, 2009 UNITED KINGDOM PS cuts to create infrastructure ‘disaster’ The British Government has been warned that slashing spending in the public sector to ease the effects of the recession could lead to a tsunami-like infrastructure disaster in the years ahead. The think tank, the New Local Government Network (NLGN) said the “dramatic” spending squeeze likely after the election threatened housing, transport and education projects, outcomes which could plunge Britain back into an era of crumbling infrastructure and hamper long-term economic recovery. The NLGN comments come as all major political parties promise to curb “excessive” public sector pay and have warned of budget cuts in various areas. Local Councils will have to raise their own cash in response, the NLGN said, warning that they had become almost totally reliant on Central Government for funding and were vulnerable to cutbacks in spending. Director of NLGN, Chris Leslie, a former Minister in the Labour Government, said anxiety over the level of public sector debt was set to define the next decade of Public Service provision in the UK. “But such a mindset risks a scenario in which economic growth is fettered by inadequate investment in the nation’s infrastructure,” Mr Leslie said. “We urge preparedness within the sector for the looming political obsession with national debt which could see a Treasury cutting capital grant and loan availability severely.” Mr Leslie said Councils must do more to raise their own funds and suggested ways such as issuing bonds in the financial markets, increasing borrowing, selling assets or charging for services. The report came only days after the Conservative-controlled Barnet Council approved plans which could see residents pay more for certain services in what some have dubbed a “no-frills airline model”. 3 November, 2009 UNITED STATES Sick leave breakthrough for retirees Major changes have been made to the structure of pay and entitlements in the United States Federal Public Service with President Barack Obama approving a new Defence authorisation Bill. The approved changes include allowing PS staff employed under the Federal Employment Retirement System (FERS) to be credited for unused sick leave when they retire, just as those governed by the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) can. It is hoped this may end the epidemic of ‘FERS flu’, where soon-to-retire employees burn off sick leave because they can’t receive credit for it. In addition, the changes now allow FERS employees returning to work for the Federal Government to redeposit their annuities while CSRS employees who work part time at the end of their careers will be able to have their annuities recalculated to be based only on their full-time salaries. Retirees returning to work for the Federal Government would be able to collect their full salaries while drawing their annuities. Agencies used to pay rehired annuitants a full salary only if they obtained a waiver from the Office of Personnel Management. Federal employees in Alaska, Hawaii and US territories will now receive locality pay instead of a cost of living allowances. This will bring them into line with employees in the 48 States. The measures were contained in the Defence Authorisation Bill, which funds Pentagon operations but historically includes several other unrelated provisions. It passed the Senate by a vote of 68 to 29. President of the National Treasury Employees Union, Colleen Kelley said the measures were a major step forward to helping ensure that FERS-covered employees would soon be on par with their counterparts under the Civil Service Retirement System. The Bill also ends the National Security Personnel System and suspends the Defence Civilian Intelligence Personnel System. Both are controversial pay-for-performance systems Members of the military will get a 3.4 per cent pay raise in 2010, higher than President Obama’s proposed payrise, and voting will get easier for them due to a provision requiring States to provide military voters with ballots no later than 45 days before an election. States must also provide ballots electronically. 3 November, 2009 IRELAND PS sick leave double private sector A new report by the Irish Comptroller and Auditor General has revealed that Public Servants take twice the number of days off than their equivalents in the private sector and the cost to the Irish taxpayer of meeting their pensions is on track to double in the next 10 years. The findings have done nothing to support union action against PS pay cuts planned to begin this month. The report emerged as the Government was preparing to slash €1.3bn ($A2.15 billion) from the public sector pay and pensions bill in December’s Budget. Responding to the report, the Department of Finance said more than 40 per cent of PS staff took no sick leave in 2007. The Department said an up-to-date and robust policy to manage sick leave was at an advanced stage of negotiation with the unions. “This policy takes on board the concerns raised by the Comptroller and Auditor General, such as providing a general framework of guidelines on more efficient management of sick leave and a definition of long-term sick leave,” the Department said. “The policy is also aimed at reducing absence from work, which should result in reductions in the cost of sick leave.” The report stressed legitimate sickness leave was a normal part of employment but insisted managers needed to intervene where it was “excessive and unwarranted”. The report found that the average woman working in Departments was absent for 14 days, while the average man was off for eight days. It said a five per cent cut in sick leave would save the State at least €3.2 million ($A5.25 million) and urged the Public Service to start monitoring absences and comparing them with other Departments. The cost of paying public sector pensions will be €2.4 billion ($A3.95 billion) this year, increasing to €4.4 billion ($A7.25 billion) by 2018 and €14.7 billion ($A24.2 billion) in 2058. 3 November, 2009 UNITED KINGDOM Diversity awards presented to PS The third annual Civil Service Equality and Diversity Awards have been presented in the United Kingdom honouring Public Servants from around the nation for encouraging diversity and supporting vulnerable people. The winners include a project to improve access for the elderly and people with disabilities at a railway station; work to prevent British citizens being forced into marriage in Pakistan; a team to support refugees; and an inspirational staff member of Jobcentre Plus who has gone the extra mile to help the homeless in her community. Presenting the awards, Cabinet Secretary and Head of the Civil Service, Sir Gus O’Donnell said he was proud to lead a Public Service that was is delivering on equality and diversity and changing to meet the evolving needs of society. “Your stories and successes show how Civil Servants go out of their way to reach the most vulnerable, improve opportunities and raise aspirations,” Sir Gus said. “In times of economic downturn, our work delivering important public services to all parts of our society becomes even more critical. “A diverse workforce that fully reflects our diverse society is essential if we are to meet the challenges of the future; not least because we need the innovation in thinking and delivery that diversity brings to enable us to do more with less.” Sir Gus said he wanted the Public Service to embrace a full range of perspectives, backgrounds, experiences and skills. “That is the best chance we have of understanding the people we serve,” he said. “We should set an example to other employers in the way we value our people, invest in their development and create a culture that is inclusive and welcoming to all.” The awards came as new figures showed the Senior Public Service to be more diverse than ever. The proportion of women at senior levels has doubled since 1996 and is now around 34 per cent, compared to just 11.7 per cent in the leading 100 private companies. There has also been an increase in the number of staff from black minority ethnic backgrounds and people with disabilities. 3 November, 2009 CHINA A million sit PS entrance exam Up to a million candidates are expected to sit for the Chinese Public Service entrance examination but only 15,000 are likely to be chosen. In some cases more than 4,000 candidates are competing for one Government job. The Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security said 1.35 million candidates have passed the qualification evaluation and one million are expected to take the exam. The Ministry said 230,000 people applied for positions directly under the Central Government and its institutions above the provincial level, and 800,000 applied for positions at the county level. One job vacancy at the European Office of the International Department of the Ministry of Science and Technology attracted 4,080 applicants. Positions with Customs were also popular, with four vacancies in Xiamen Customs attracting13,705 applicants. But jobs at railway public security and weather departments proved to be much less attractive with 30 job vacancies left open by the application deadline on Saturday. Huang Juan, 26, who works for a foreign company in Nanjing, sat for the examination for a fifth time without any preparation. She said there was no point in cramming because the test mainly required speed-reading and quick responses on a broad general knowledge. “Several of my friends passed the Government exam without preparation,” Ms Huang said. “The odds of passing the test are higher than the lottery, but I would like to take a chance anyway. Maybe I can win it with my relaxed and positive mind.” However a former graduate of Renmin University, called Xing, said he crammed for the examination for an entire year and beat out 40 other candidates. He turned down an offer from an American investment bank and chose to work for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. “I am a Party member and used to initiate all kinds of campus activities, so the job suits me,” Mr Xing said. “My father is also a Civil Servant, the family tradition is here.” Senior consultant with a career firm, Hong Xiangyang said Government jobs were steady, which was precious in a job market hit by the financial crisis. However there were people with different views. Joshua Chan, who was recruited as a Public Servant in Shanghai three years ago, said the job was not as good as people made it out to be. “I do routine work every day and I can’t see prospects for future promotion,” Mr Chan said. 3 November, 2009 MALAYSIA Corruption allegations against PS chief A top Public Servant, described as the former Secretary-General of a Government Department, has been arrested for alleged corruption. The Malaysian Anti Corruption Commission (MACC), who did not name the man, said he would face corruption charges believed to be in the region of RM10 million ($A3.25 million). Newspaper reports said the Secretary-General was attached to a Ministry which handled large amounts of Government grants for various start-ups. He is believed to be a millionaire and reports said that large sums of cash were found at his home. According to a statement from the MACC, the man was arrested at the Putrajaya headquarters of the anti-graft agency. “The suspect was arrested on suspicion of corruption related to the approval of grants for a project in Penang,” the Agency said in a statement. The arrest of the top Public Servant comes just after an Auditor-General’s report which appeared to suggest widespread graft in the award of contracts and the purchase of equipment for the Government. The arrest comes amid widespread negative perception of the MACC, which has been seen as ineffective and partial towards the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) Party. Since its formation as a more powerful anti-graft enforcement Agency to replace the old Anti-Corruption Agency (ACA), MACC has yet to show its capability in clamping down on serious corruption. The death of political aide Teoh Beng Hock at the MACC office in Shah Alam has been a major low point with Opposition Pakatan Rakyat (PR) politicians accusing the MACC of being a tool of the Federal Government. The Commission’s interrogation and investigation methods have been exposed in the current inquest into Mr Teoh’s death. This latest arrest was not expected to ally negative public perception of the MACC as there is a general feeling throughout the Malaysian community that corruption is widespread within the Public Service. 3 November, 2009 NEPAL Call to restructure PS A workshop on the role of the Public Service in Nepal has been told the nation’s PS was in need of restructure. Delegates at the workshop underlined the need for the Public Service to be more inclusive without compromising its merit-based character in the context of Federalism and restructuring of the State. The workshop, which explored the theme Issues and Problems of Transition in Nepal: The role of Civil Service was organised by the Public Administration of Nepal (PAN). Its main objective was to discuss the issues and problems of Nepal’s peace process; the transition from a Public Service working for a near absolute monarchy to an elected Government; its impact on the overall governance system and mechanisms for a suggested way ahead. During the program, speakers discussed the socio-cultural and politico-dynamics of conflict and its aftermath in view of the country’s current transition and its impact on the Public Service. The workshop was also focused on frustrating ramifications triggered by the failure of political representatives to draft the Constitution on time and its effect on the country’s economic and social conditions. A source at the workshop complained that the Government’s policy of appeasement, accommodation and compromise had gradually led to complacency and inertia in all facets of the governance system. “It is to be realised that there exists an enormous scope of opportunities for reforms and improvement amidst transition,” the source said. 3 November, 2009 SOUTH AFRICA Unionist calls for corruption crackdown The General Secretary of the Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) has called for a crackdown on corruption in the South African Public Service. Zwelinzima Vavi said that while measures were being taken to curb corruption, far more needed to be done to rid the Public Service of the culture of self-enrichment. Addressing a function to mark the 50th anniversary of Communism in Africa, Mr Vavi said even among the party’s own cadres there was a view that those in public office had the right to expensive cars and weeks in five-star hotels. “This has to be fought with every weapon at our disposal,” Mr Vavi said. He criticised Public Servants who saw themselves entitled to the “same sort of obscene perks” as those in business. “We will never curb the greed of the capitalists if our own leaders follow the same path and adopt their greedy morality of ‘me first’,” he said. Mr Vavi said recent service delivery protests were rooted in legitimate grievances about poor service, but were also a “revolt” against those the public had elected to serve them. “We must ensure that the elected officials and the State bureaucracy continues to become more responsive and accountable to the masses ... and that our alliance organisations are treated as the legitimate voice of our communities, not as one more in a queue of special interests,” he said. He admitted that there were also Councillors and Mayors who did “wonderful work” in their communities. Mr Vavi cited the economic recession, labour brokering, a threat to ban the unionisation of the army and corruption as the main challenges facing the national democratic revolution. 3 November, 2009 NIGERIA PS College to retrain retired staff Nigeria’s Administrative Staff College (ASCON) has been ordered to run entrepreneurial development programs for up to 1,000 Public Servants forcibly retired in a recent administrative shake-up. The special training is aimed at making the former State employees more self-reliant and independent. GA_googleFillSlot( "AllAfrica_Story_InsetA" ); Director-General of the College, Ajibade Peters, said the Head of the Public Service of the Federation, Steve Oronsaye had charged ASCON and other Management Development Institutes (MDIs) to put their houses in good order for the challenge of sharpening the Public Service workforce. “After their training and retirement, these entrepreneurs are expected to set up their own businesses which would add to the country’s Gross Domestic Product and create employment opportunities in this difficult economic climate,” Mr Peters said. GA_googleFillSlot( "AllAfrica_Story_InsetB" ); “All these are testimonies to our enduring legacy in human capital development in the country which has made us the foremost MDI in Nigeria.” Mr Peters said the College would make efforts to improve its capacity and widen its horizons in order to face the challenges set by Mr Oronsaye. “The Federal Government is already working assiduously to map out a sustainable and enviable human capital development strategy for fast-tracking economic growth towards the attainment of Vision 2020,” he said. “Mr Oronsaye has reiterated his unshaken resolve to pay special attention to human capital development as a means of building a modern, responsive, accountable and transparent Public Service.” The College was meeting the challenge through the purchase of a large electricity generator “at very high cost, but which is rectifying the previous epileptic power situation”. 3 November, 2009 BOTSWANA President denies militarising PS The President of Botswana, Ian Khama, has rejected suggestions he was militarising the Public Service by appointing Army officers to senior positions. President Khama, a former officer himself, dismissed the media claims saying he had only appointed two. Addressing a rally in Old Naledi where he launched the campaign of the ruling Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) candidate, Kagiso Molatlhegi, President Khama said the media had been accusing him of filling Government Departments with soldiers. “I have brought in only two people – one in the Office of the President and another at the Directorate of Intelligence Services,” President Khama said. The President said he had not been involved in the appointment of the new Head of Prisons, Colonel Silas Motlalekgosi. He said the Army man had been hired by the Minister for Labour and Home Affairs, Peter Siele. President Khama said he wondered if he was just being attacked for the mere fact that he was from the Army and explained that he did not impose himself in politics, as he was also brought in from the barracks by then President Festus Mogae. “If there is a good person, whether he or she is from the Army, police or any background, I would hire them – the media is being sensational,” he said. “One person told me that he wrote 14 letters to the media to rebut attacks against me, but not even one was published. When someone attacks me, they rush to put the story on the front page, but when it’s a positive report on me, they put it on page 15.” 3 November, 2009 UNITED KINGDOM Ministers will be able to sack Permanent Secretaries under a Conservative Government according to the Shadow Minister for the Cabinet Office, Francis Maude. The announcement would herald the end of the ‘jobs for life’ tradition in the British Public Service whereby Permanent Secretaries not doing their job properly are moved to another post or encouraged to retire early. No Permanent Secretary has been sacked in more than 70 years. NIGERIA A central desk for the issuing of electronic tickets to all Government staff travelling by air for official trips, has been ordered by President Umaru Yar’Adua. Head of the Federal Civil Service, Steve Oronsaye said the executive order meant Government officials from all the Ministries, Departments and Agencies would have to get their tickets from the Office of the Head of Service. President Yar’Adua did not give reasons for the order, but a Government official said it might be targeted at checking incidences of unauthorised trips by Government staff. IRELAND A one-day stoppage across the entire public sector to protest against proposed Government cuts in Public Servants’ pay is planned for 24 November. Trade unions decided that the 24-hour strike should go ahead subject to members approving the action in ballots. Members of one union, Impact, which proposed the strike, have already voted in favour of the stoppage. Preparations for the stoppage will take place in while talks with the Government continue on its plans to reduce the public sector pay bill by €1.3 billion ($A2.15 billion) next year. UNITED KINGDOM The 5,000 Public Servants at the Ministry of Justice could be moving into a new 18-storey office development in the north of England. Liverpool’s Pall Mall £70 million ($A126 million) office development is being built with the specific aim of accommodating PS staff relocated from London and the Ministry of Justice is the favourite for the move. Liverpool Council sources said the development should encourage regeneration of an otherwise underdeveloped part of the city. CAMEROON A mass recruitment program is expected to boost the Cameroon Public Service by more than 2,000 Minister of Public Service and Administrative Reforms, Emmanuel Bondo said that prospective applicants would sit for a series of competitive examinations. The 2,081 positions would be apportioned among eight major Ministries and Agencies: Social Affairs, Telecommunication Technologies, Information, Documentation, Civil Engineering, Rural Production, Livestock and Maritime Fishing and Animal Industries. ITALY Public Servants have marched through the streets of Rome as part of nationwide industrial action over budget cuts and lay-offs. Unions called workers to the nationwide general strike from the country’s transport, health care, public administration and education sectors. Transport walkouts triggered the most disruption, with commuters left stranded at train stations and bus stops across the country. |
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