SearchArchives for August 2009
25 August, 2009
MALAYSIA
PS retirements cause ‘brain drain’
The premature retirement of Malaysian Public Servants was leading to a PS “brain drain” according to the Sultan of Perak, Sultan Azlan Shah.
Sultan Azlan said although the retirement age was raised to 58 in July last year, it was still too young and constituted a loss to the public sector, especially in areas which needed experienced officers such as learning institutions, health and medical services, engineering, architecture and science.
"The retirement age for judges is 66 but the retirement age for the Legal Service is 58. This is a loss to the Attorney-General's Chambers as experienced prosecutors and legal officers are making their exit,” Sultan Azlan said.
"Their departure at such a young and productive age is a huge loss to the Service as their experience and maturity of minds is still needed by the sector."
He said retirees had invaluable experience to share and he hoped they would record their experience by writing books.
"The Retirees' Association can collaborate with the National Archives or training institutes to document their experience or create a website which can be visited by future generations," he said.
Sultan Azlan said an active mind would keep the retirees alert and fresh and prevent them from plunging into depression due to the feeling that they no longer had any use to society.
"It is therefore important for retirees to continue attending events, participate in intellectual discussions, reading, and keeping abreast with current issues.”
The Sultan said today’s retirees were people who were active and productive and had what it takes to contribute meaningfully to society.
25 August, 2009
SOUTH AFRICA
Affirmative action setback for PS
Affirmative action in the South African Public Service has been dealt a major blow with a landmark legal case that could have set a valuable precedent, settled out of Court.
Four police officers, forensic scientists, who were denied promotion five years ago, were vindicated on all the points of their complaint, with retroactive effect.
The South African Police Service (SAPS) offered a settlement, therefore preventing a legal argument from developing regarding critical aspects of affirmative action.
This case had been hailed as the most important test regarding affirmative action in the Public Service to date.
The case was settled by granting all the requests the four officers asked for in November 2004: immediate promotion, which was formerly refused due to the colour of their skin, as well as full compensation with retroactive effect, as if they had indeed been promoted at that time.
The SAPS had decided to leave key positions vacant rather than appointing white candidates, although the applicants were fully qualified - with formal training and years of experience - for these highly skilled posts.
Public Service unions claimed the practice of leaving posts vacant when no suitable candidates of colour could be found was a common practice across the Public Service. A spokesman for one union, Solidarity, refused to comment except to say he was satisfied with the outcome.
A written opinion from Advocate John Grogan, one of the country's top labour law practitioners, stated that affirmative action "must achieve something, preferably something that would protect or help those who were previously disadvantaged".
"How can it be claimed that any previously disadvantaged candidate is helped or protected by leaving a post vacant?" Mr Grogan said.
Deputy President of the South African Police Union, Neal Truter, said his union was currently involved in various disputes where the promotion of white police members was refused because no candidates of colour could be found.
25 August, 2009
UNITED KINGDOM
Gender gap alive and well in PS
A report by the British Office of National Statistics has revealed that female Public Servants in the UK receive pay rates almost 30 per cent lower than their male counterparts.
On average, female workers are paid 28 per cent less in the Attorney General's Office and 27 per cent less in the Treasury, according to the report. The pay gap at both the Ministry of Defence and the Department for International Development was 20 per cent.
In addition, women make up less than a third of full-time senior Public Servants.
Across the Service, the weighted difference is 15.3 per cent between men and women who work full time. The median average gap equals £4,419 ($A8,838).
The Liberal Democrat Party, which publicised the data, claimed the figures showed the Government had still not put its house in order 40 years after equal pay laws were introduced.
The Party’s spokeswoman on equality, Lynne Featherstone said the fact that women make up such a small proportion of full-time senior Public Servants was depressing.
"If the Public Service is unable to treat men and women equally, what hope is there for the private sector?" Ms Featherstone asked.
She called for workplaces to have audits so women could see whether they were paid less than male counterparts, a move which has already been suggested by the Deputy Leader of the ruling Labour Party, Harriet Harman.
The Liberal Democrats also want the introduction of "no name" job applications, to drive out "unconscious" discrimination.
According to existing equality laws, staff doing the same jobs, which are of "equal value" and rated the same, should be paid the same, unless the employer can show there is a material reason not based on gender.
25 August, 2009
CANADA
PS pay ‘out of touch with reality’
Public Service wages and generous conditions are being blamed for high taxes in the Canadian province of Ontario.
Leader of the Conservative Party in the Province, Tim Hudak said Public Service Union leaders needed to "get a grip" on the new realities of the private sector economy.
Mr Hudak said Ontario can reverse its decline to a have-not Province by cutting business taxes and eliminating the land-transfer tax for one year as a way to boost home sales.
He was not specific about how he would bring in Public Service restraint, but in a brief session with reporters, said he would work with municipal leaders on things like the provincial arbitration system that drives up their labour costs.
Mr Hudak said that recent strikes of Toronto's Public Servants and Ottawa's public transport workers showed that the Public Service was "out of touch" with the current economy.
Ottawa Liberal Member, Yasir Naqvi said Mr Hudak's comments were an echo of previous eras when relations with the Public Service hit rock bottom.
Mr Naqvi said it was important that there be labour peace to ensure smooth operation of schools and hospitals especially.
"The last thing we need to do is pick a fight with the unions," Mr Naqvi said.
Both Mr Hudak and New Democrat Party Leader, Andrea Horwath attacked the Government of Premier, Dalton McGuinty for introducing the harmonised sales tax to the Province.
They both said the eight-per-cent sales tax, replacing the existing two-tax system, would hit families buying items that had previously not been taxed.
Mr Naqvi said reduced income taxes will make up for the sales tax for lower-income families.
25 August, 2009
UNITED STATES
New office to manage SES
A new office to oversee the Senior Executive Service of the United States Federal Public Service is to be set up by the Office of Personnel Management, drawing its powers and responsibilities from across the OPM.
The new office will manage the SES's Qualifications Review Board, which sets the core qualifications for applicants, and will coordinate outreach to organisations such as the Senior Executives Association and executive resource managers.
It will also make recommendations on allocations of SES and senior-level positions, as well as the certification of appraisal systems and candidate development programs.
Director of OPM, John Berry said the establishment of a centralised SES office would assist efforts to build a world-class workforce.
Associate Director for the Human Resources Policy Division at OPM, Nancy Kichak, said the consolidation would result in one-stop shopping.
"Now you will come to this office, and the answers should all reside in one location," Ms Kichak said.
“OPM plans to have this office up and running by the end of 2009.”
The SES, established by the 1978 Civil Service Reform Act to create an elite group of Federal managers, has been criticised for a lack of diversity.
The Government Accountability Office has recommended improvements to the process of certifying performance-based SES pay systems.
Ms Kichak said the new office would have a broad focus.
"Not only diversity, but we're also about getting SESers the right training, making sure they have the right development opportunities and making sure that there's an environment where they can be mentored," she said.
President of the non-profit organisation Partnership for Public Service, Max Stier said the SES had been impeded by decentralised talent development and recruiting, a cumbersome and lengthy hiring process, and inadequate training programs.
"By creating an office designed to focus on these issues, OPM has taken an important step to reinvigorate the executive team that leads our Government through Presidential transitions and through a set of increasingly complex daily challenges," Mr Stier said.
Establishment of the office was one of many recommendations in a recent report by consultants Booz Allen Hamilton.
The report, titled Unrealised Vision: Reimagining the Senior Executive Service, calls for the SES to be split into two groups, one of mobile managers who will move from Agency to Agency, and another of managers who will stay put in their respective Agencies.
25 August, 2009
MALDIVES
PS payroll to be halved
A plan to cut Public Service numbers in half by 2011 has been announced by the President of the Maldives, Mohamed Nasheed.
Speaking at a Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) rally, the president said out of the Rf7 billion ($655 million) Government revenue, Rf5 billion ($A468 million) was spent on salaries and allowances for 32,000 Public Servants.
The Government had Rf2 billion ($A186 million) left to provide public goods and services.
"Tell me how we can build a harbour from that?” President Nasheed asked. “Or a sewerage system or a wall around a football stadium or improve a health centre?"
He said while the average salary of a worker in the private sector was Rf4,500 ($A421) a month, the lowest ranking Public Servant earned Rf7,000 ($A655).
"It is true, if we reduce even a little from the salary of Government employees, they will face a lot of difficulties, I don't deny that," the President said.
“But it is the Government’s responsibility to help the rest of the workforce improve its standard of living.”
President Nasheed said the new Public Service would be made up of a maximum of 18,000 well-paid, hard-working and capable staff.
The reductions in salaries and allowances would save the Government Rf500 million ($A47 million).
"There's only one other country like us, with 10 per cent of its population employed by the Government and that is North Korea - they starve for most of the year," President Nasheed said.
25 August, 2009
KENYA
Reformed PS includes senior overhaul
A new strategic plan for managing the Kenyan Public Service could include a major overhaul for senior management.
Under a proposed new structure, the Permanent Secretary in the Prime Minister’s Office, Mohamed Isahakia, would be at the same rank as the Head of the Public Service, Francis Muthaura.
The change is one of the key highlights in the first strategic plan drawn up for the Prime Minister’s Office and unveiled by President Mwai Kibaki and Prime Minister Raila Odinga.
The plan maintains that the Permanent Secretary in the Prime Minister’s Office could not effectively discharge duties while at the same rank with the Chief Executives of other Ministries.
The elevated portfolio would then be supported by six Departments headed by senior officials at the Secretary or Director level.
Prime Minister Odinga said the move did not create new institutions; rather it used existing ones to achieve what could be done constitutionally.
Minister for Planning, Wycliffe Oparanya said the Government was in the process of reviewing strategic plans of all 40 Ministries.
“We have already received strategic plans from eight Ministries as well as 30 Agencies and Local Authorities and the impression we are getting is that we still have a lot of duplication in various Departments,” Mr Oparanya said..
Mr Odinga said the plan would yield the most efficient and responsive Public Service.
He said enhancing the efficiency of the Public Service would significantly improve the country’s rating in the eyes of multilateral lenders and international investors
25 August, 2009
RWANDA
PS suffering skills shortages
Despite the Rwandan Public Service being bigger than the nation’s private sector, it was still suffering from skills shortages, according to the Director of Human Resources and Research in the Public Service Commission, Peter Bazimya.
Mr Bazimya said he did not expect vacant positions would be filled easily or quickly.
Since 1994, the Government has been faced with a deficit of a small number of qualified staff mainly because universities were producing an insufficient number of graduates to serve in different posts.
GA_googleFillSlot( "AllAfrica_Story_InsetB" ); "Even today we still have people who are insufficiently qualified or who have difficulty in fulfilling duties, that’s why we need reform,” Mr Bazimya said.
“Our concern now is to gather together both sectors, public and private, together with the universities and then agree on how we can deal with the issue.”
He said recruitment was difficult with the only alternative being the hiring of expensive expatriates. Inevitably, local people were unable to pass the qualifying examinations.
Acting Director of Recruitment and Redeployment in the Public Service Commission (PSC), Odette Nirere agreed this was the case, but the PSC was working on strategies to deal with it.
Ms Nirere said one answer was concentrated training in specific fields. GA_googleFillSlot( "AllAfrica_Story_InsetC" );
“On the issue of exam failures, I believe sometimes it happens but in such cases we reset the exam and give the candidates another chance," Ms Nirere said.
Director General of Capacity Building in the Human Resources and Institutional Capacity Development Agency, Charles Karake said there was a big shortage of qualified personnel in both public and private sectors.
"The best alternative we have today is to address this through training,” Mr Karake said.
Public Service Minister, Anastase Murekezi said there was a need for a restructuring plan based mainly on the performance of each employee against their job description.
"Non-performers will be sacked while performers will be retained,” Mr Murekezi said.
“Every Government organ will evaluate its employees and the next step will be based on their reports.”
25 August, 2009
INDIA
Bid to restore PS quotas
The Indian Public Service should be allowed to set quotas for low caste (Dalit) and disadvantaged students who elect to sit for the Public Service entry exam.
This was the Federal Government’s claim in the Indian Supreme Court, during an appeal hearing against a ruling of the Madras High Court which denied the plan.
The Government said the Court ruling was illegal and unconstitutional.
Solicitor General, Gopal Subramanian told the Court the Contended Civil Service Rule 16(2) clearly allowed the students to take advantage of the quota benefits at a later stage of their employment so they could secure better positions and postings.
“A person having a ladder cannot be prevented from using it to ascend the second floor of a building simply because he was able to climb up to the first floor without using it,” Mr Subramanian said.
“Rule 16(2) is in strict conformity with Article 335 of the Constitution, which seeks to strike a balance between the Government’s affirmative actions for the deprived and underprivileged sections of society and the need of merit and efficiency in the Administration.”
He said if the Madras Court’s ruling was allowed to stand it would result in an anomaly.
“It would mean the less meritorious ones among the Dalit and disadvantaged aspirants would be promoted ahead of their meritorious counterparts,” he said.
“Rule 16(2) is also in conformity with Article 46 of the Constitution, which mandates the Government to strive to raise the plight of underprivileged and backward sections of society.”
25 August, 2009
UNITED STATES
A Senior Counsellor with responsibility to serve as a representative to the gay community has been appointed by the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division.
The move follows growing impatience and displeasure among gay men and lesbians with how the White House is handling issues important to them.
The Counsellor, Matt Nosanchuk once worked for the Justice Department's Office of Policy Development and has handled judiciary and civil rights issues for Democrat Senator Bill Nelson.
He also advised President Barack Obama's presidential campaign on lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender issues.
YEMEN
Public Servants in Yemen will work limited hours during the holy month of Ramadan, the Cabinet has decided.
The Cabinet's decision limited the official hours in Ministries, Government bodies and central public authorities to five hours from 10am every day except Thursday and Friday.
The working hours in hospitals, health service facilities and the similar institutions will be limited to four starting from 10am for six days per a week from Saturday to Thursday.
During Ramadan Muslims around the world abstain from food, drink, and other physical needs during daylight hours.
ZIMBABWE
A two-week strike by junior doctors at State hospitals is escalating with their more senior colleagues joining the protests.
Efforts to end the strike failed when the doctors dismissed promises to amend their monthly allowances.
The doctors are demanding higher salaries and the restoration of allowances which were withdrawn last month by the Government.
President of the Hospital Doctors Association, Brighton Chizhande said the Association “had just got promises which fall short of our expectations”.
NEW ZEALAND
A National Health Board to oversee and fund district health boards has been recommended in a report to Minister of Health, Tony Ryall.
The report warns of cuts ahead in the rate of growth in health spending - which Minister of Finance, Bill English signalled in his May Budget.
It also calls for a debate about which health services should be provided by the Government.
The Opposition Labour Party’s Spokeswoman on Health, Ruth Dyson said a new National Health Board would simply mean another layer of bureaucracy.
UNITED STATES
Costs for public services surrounding the burial of Michael Jackson will be paid by his family.
The services include the deployment of 3,200 police officers by the Los Angeles Police Department at a cost of more than $US1 million ($A1.2 million).
Sergeant Tom Lorenz of the Glendale Police Department in the suburb where the burial will take place, said the cost of traffic control and other police services will be passed on to the Forest Lawn-Glendale Cemetery and ultimately to the family.
18 August, 2009
UNITED KINGDOM
MPs call for whistleblower protection
A Parliamentary Committee in the United Kingdom has called for more protection for Public Service whistleblowers.
The House of Commons Public Administration Select Committee's (PASC) report, Leaks And Whistleblowing In Whitehall, looked into the wider questions raised by the arrest of a junior Public Servant, Christopher Galley and Conservative Spokesman on Immigration, Damian Green in connection with leaks from the Home Office.
The Committee, which included members from all sides of politics, warned that Public Servants were “extremely unlikely” to follow approved channels for whistleblowing if they feared their careers could suffer, and might see an anonymous tip to the media as safer.
It said the Civil Service Commissioners should have the power to report evidence that indicated the Government had been misleading Parliament or the public.
“PASC Chairman, Tony Wright said it was fundamental to good Government that Public Servants keep the confidences they are entrusted with.
“However, there is a tension between this basic duty and the public's legitimate interest in having access to information about how Government works and ensuring Government wrongdoing comes to light,” Mr Wright said.
“It is therefore essential that Civil Servants know what channels are available to them if they believe there is wrongdoing or information is being suppressed.”
Mr Green and Mr Galley were arrested within days of each other in November last year under common law offences relating to misconduct in public office. They were cleared by the Crown Prosecution Service in April.
In its report, the PASC said the leaking of information should only be a criminal matter where there was a breach of the Official Secrets Act or evidence of “serious criminal misconduct” in addition to the leak itself, such as accepting payment.
In a scathing analysis of the lack of policy debate in the UK Public Service, the Committee said most leakers acted out of frustration that important information was being covered up.
“Relatively little consideration appears to have been given to support for whistleblowers once they have raised concerns in good faith,” the Committee report said.
18 August, 2009
NIGERIA
Minister drops PS role
A Minister in the Nigerian Government has chosen to work with his Chief of Staff rather than appoint a replacement for the retired Secretary of his Department.
Senator Adamu Aliero, Minister for the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), made the decision to “avoid duplication of official responsibilities” and to save money.
A close source said the decision was also made to remove a perceived bottleneck in Public Service procedures for the approval and implementation of key internal policies.
“Since the office of Chief of Staff is currently being occupied by a seasoned Public Service administrator, Alhaji Abubakar Sadiq Yelwa, there is no point in getting a new Permanent Secretary,” the source said.
“Mr Yelwa is a chartered accountant of international repute and aptly fits into the roles as both the chief accounting officer and the connection between the various levels and arms of the FCT Administration.”
The source said Senator Aliero was not comfortable with the additional cost incurred by the Administration for the payment of salaries and allowances of a Permanent Secretary and his aides.
“He has spoken to the office of President Umaru Yar’Adua to ensure that the dissolution order which abolished the office of the Permanent Secretary is followed strictly,” the source said.
A member of Mr Yelwa’s staff praised him saying that in spite of his tight schedules, he left no file unattended for more than 12 hours of the working day.
“He treats files with the highest dispatch, and no matter who you are, he attends to every visitor who comes to see him, just as he tries his best to address our problems,” the staff member said.
18 August, 2009
UNITED KINGDOM
PS pensions ‘unsustainable’
The manager of a major Public Service pension scheme in the United Kingdom has admitted that some current arrangements surrounding PS pensions are unsustainable.
Bob Holloway, who manages the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) at the Department of Communities and Local Government, said changes will have to be made to appease private sector workers with less generous schemes and taxpayers who perceived “a pensions apartheid to be getting bigger”.
Among the radical options for reform being debated by experts are increased employee contributions, raised retirement ages, Public Service cuts, or Council tax rises to pay for public sector pension scheme shortfalls.
Mr Holloway said less drastic reforms could include higher and lower membership bands. It would mean those earning more than £75,000 ($A150,000) would pay a higher level of contributions while a new lower band might attract less well-paid staff who had opted out of the LGPS.
Another option could mean Public Servants receiving pensions based only on career-average earnings rather than their final salaries.
“The LGPS is under threat, something has to happen – things may even happen before a General Election,” Mr Holloway said.
“If MPs' very generous pensions change, as has been indicated, then other public sector schemes may well receive some pain as well. There will need to be something more major than a sticking plaster. Unfortunately, people are refusing to die.”
Conservative Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury, Philip Hammond said it was unsustainable for 90 per cent of public sector workers to retire on final salary pensions while only five per cent of their private sector counterparts enjoyed such benefits.
“Once we are in government, we will come up with a solution that will make public sector pensions affordable, but existing accrued entitlements will be adhered to,” Mr Hammond said.
“We cannot ignore the challenge of unfunded public sector pensions.”
Some analysts predict that schemes like the LGPS could take 20 years to recover the deficit caused by the economic downturn and poor investments in Icelandic banks and hedge funds that had collapsed.
A recent report by the British-North American Committee, comprising business, labour and academic leaders in Britain, the United States and Canada, put the cost of public sector pensions at £1 trillion ($A2 trillion) or 85 per cent of Britain’s Gross Domestic Product.
18 August, 2009
NORTHERN IRELAND
Performance bonuses
on hold
Senior Public Servants in Northern Ireland are to miss out on performance bonuses this year due to the Global Financial Crisis.
The top 220 managers will, however, receive a 3.5 per cent pay rise.
The decision by the Minister for Finance, Sammy Wilson marks a break in practice with the rest of the United Kingdom but will save the taxpayer £1.1 million ($A2.2 million).
The senior ranks affected include Assistant Secretary, Deputy Secretary and Permanent Secretary. It was recently revealed that the £15 million ($A30 million) paid to top Public Servants in Northern Ireland last year included £1.2 million ($A2.4 million) in bonuses.
Mr Wilson said he had given the matter careful consideration and, taking account of all the relevant factors, had decided on what he believed to be a very fair package.
“At an overall cost increase of 3.5 per cent, the award to senior Civil Servants is also slightly below recent awards for the rest of the Civil Service,” Mr Wilson said.
“But it allows me to reward senior Civil Servants for the vital work that they do in supporting Ministers in the Executive and in delivering public services.”
The Northern Ireland Public Service Alliance, the main Public Service union, welcomed Mr Wilson's announcement.
However, General Secretary, John Corey said he would be seeking assurances that the proposals have regard to Public Servants' contractual rights.
He also raised concerns about major changes being made to Public Service pay arrangements without prior consultation with the trade unions.
“We have always opposed the use of performance bonuses in the Public Service,” Mr Corey said
“They are divisive and it is grossly unfair that a senior Civil Servant could be paid a bonus equivalent to some Civil Servants’ annual wage.
“However, we believe Northern Ireland's senior Civil Servants have a right to be treated no less favourably than senior Civil Servants in the rest of the UK.”
As a result the union would be examining the details of the Minister’s proposals to ensure that contractual rights were not being breached and would be pressing the Minister for assurances if necessary.
18 August, 2009
UNITED STATES
Computer glitch hits social security
A social security computer glitch in the United States has led to more than 80,000 welfare recipients receiving over $US500 million ($A593 million) in overdue back payments.
The benefits were unfairly denied after the recipients were flagged by a Federal computer program designed to catch serious criminals.
According to the Social Security Administration, the root of the problem was a 1996 law which contained language later nicknamed the “fleeing felon” provision, that said fugitives were ineligible to receive Federal benefits.
As part of its enforcement, the SSA began searching computer databases to weed out people who were collecting benefits and had outstanding warrants against them.
A preliminary agreement was reached in the California District Court as part of a class-action lawsuit, which challenged the Administration's use of the warrant searches.
The searches captured dozens of criminals, including some wanted for murder, but they also ensnared countless elderly and disabled people accused of relatively minor offences such as shoplifting or writing bad cheques.
In some cases, the victims simply shared a name and a birth date with an offender. Often it was difficult for these citizens to challenge their cases.
The lead plaintiff in the class-action suit, Rosa Martinez, of California, was cut off from her $US870 ($A1,032) monthly disability benefit cheque in January 2008 because the system had flagged an outstanding drug warrant in 1980 for a Rosa Martinez from Miami.
An investigation showed that the warrant was for a different Rosa Martinez. Ms Martinez tried for months to convince officials that she was innocent but failed.
In the last few years, at least eight District Court judges across the country have ruled in favour of victims in individual cases, saying that cutting off benefits based solely on the database search was illegal, but officials only agreed to suspend the warrant checking process nationwide on 1 April.
A spokesman for the Social Security Administration, Dan Moraski said the Agency would not comment until the settlement was finalised, probably later this year.
18 August, 2009
KENYA
Women make progress
in PS
A long-running campaign to improve job opportunities for women in the Kenyan Public Service has finally begun bearing fruit according to the nation’s Public Service Commission (PSC).
Commission Chairman, Titus Gateere, said a decree by President Mwai Kibaki two years ago that 30 per cent of all public appointments be reserved for women, had boosted their numbers in Public Service.
Mr Gateere said out of the 2,174 new entrants and graduate appointments the Commission made in 2007, 849 or 39 per cent, were women. In the same year, out of the 1,907 officers who were promoted, 425 were women, representing 22 per cent. Figures for 2008 were still being compiled.
“In a few years we hope to have brought parity in terms of gender representation in Public Service,” he said.
However, critics said the math did not add up in some quarters with the President criticised for failing to observe his own decree when making appointments for top Government jobs.
Chairwoman of the National Commission on Gender and Development within the Ministry of Gender and Children, Regina Karega said the President had raised women’s hopes to a new level with his decree.
“But it is unfortunate that we have not seen the President’s directive implemented in his executive appointments to the Public Service in recent times,” she said.
Her Commission was created last year to drive the cause of women’s participation in the Public Service.
Director of the Gender and Affirmative Action Unit in the Gender Ministry, Leah Wanjama said by failing to adhere to his own directive, the President was undermining the implementation of his directive by the Public Service.
“The President has not set the trend for the PSC and the private sector to follow. As long as he makes gender-skewed appointments, there will be no imperative for public institutions to follow his directive,” Dr Wanjama said.
Mr Gateere called for patience, saying it would take time to realise the desired representation considering women have long been marginalised in public employment.
18 August, 2009
BRUNEI
Efficiency program introduced
The 12th “Quality Control Circle” (KKC) in the Brunei Public Service has been officially launched with the aim of serving as a platform to integrate quality control across the organisation.
Officiating at the launch, Minister of Health, Pehin Orang Kaya Indera Pahlawan Dato Seri Setia Hj Suyoi Hj Osman said quality control would result in the formation of new ideas that would ultimately raise the standards of quality and productivity in the Public Service.
“With this KKC program, we are able to carry out more projects that can be used to raise productivity levels and the level of quality in line with the Ministry’s strategic plan,” Pehin Dato Hj Suyoi said.
The first KKC was introduced to Brunei’s Public Service in 1984, with the primary goal of moving towards raising the level of service quality carried out by Public Servants and for the various Ministries and Departments to function effectively, efficiently and economically.
The concepts laid out in the KKC program emphasise the importance of teamwork in attaining results to solve customer problems systematically and completely.
The Minister said the Government was happy that the KKC program had grown and progressed in the individual organisations.
“This is important as the Public Service is dynamic in behaviour, and has to be flexible and up to date with the changes as time goes by,” he said.
“Other countries such as Malaysia, Japan, and Singapore have enhanced their KKC as work ethics that stress on creativity, innovation and efficiency.”
He said that even though the KKC might seem minor in some ways, its impact towards raising the prestige and productivity of Public Service was huge.
It was also in line with the wishes of the Sultan of Brunei, Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu'izzaddin Waddaulah who called for improvement in the levels of service being provided in the Government sector.
“This can only come through Civil Servants who are knowledgeable, competent, and who strive for success,” Pehin Dato Hj Suyoi said.
18 August, 2009
GHANA
PS showing ‘Steady improvement’
The Head of the Ghanaian Public Service has reported that steady and gradual change across the Service will inevitably lead to better service delivery.
Public Service Chief, Joe D Issachar said that although the Public Service had undergone turbulent times with low productivity and declining status, there was now a wind of change.
Speaking at a Quality and Productivity Improvement Training Workshop for middle-level Public Servants, Mr Issachar said that since the workshop program had been introduced in 2007, the Public Service had enjoyed tremendous improvement, with the rehabilitation and re-equipping of the Civil Service Training Centre as a major achievement.
The Program is under the joint auspices of the Office of the Head of Civil Service (OHCS) and Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) with support from the Management Development and Productivity Institute (MDPI)
A JICA expert at the OHCS, Kobby Kuroda said under this year's training project, all participants are requested to prepare empowered action plans based on the progress of the previous year's Ethical Leadership Programs.
Mr Kuroda stated that this year's training program will focus, among other things, on acquiring new skills, knowledge and experience among participants to make the training program result-oriented.
Chief Representative of JICA’s Ghana Office, Kunihiro Yamauchi said the objective of the training project was to endow senior Public Servants, specifically Directors and Deputy Directors, to produce training programs that would enhance the Public Service.
18 August, 2009
UNITED STATES
Museums chosen for improvement scheme
One hundred and six museums in the United States have been chosen to take part in the 2009 Museum Assessment Program (MAP).
Regarded as an important self-improvement tool for America’s museums for nearly 30 years, MAP involves a process of extensive self-study, peer review and innovation that enables museums to improve their operation in a number of areas and thereby better fulfilling their mission of public service.
MAP participants in 2009 include museums from 38 states and Puerto Rico, encompassing institutions of all sizes, from the Carnegie Museum of Natural History in Pittsburgh to the Jesse James Farm and Museum in Kearney, Missouri.
There are also numerous museum disciplines, ranging from the Decorative Arts Center of Ohio in Lancaster to the Pearl S. Buck Birthplace in Hillsboro, West Virginia to the International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport, Rhode Island.
President of the American Association of Museums, Ford W. Bell said MAP provided a structured, systematic means for museums across America to examine their operations and see where and how they could do better.
“The pillars of the service mandate of all museums are scholarship, accountability, and sustainability; MAP likewise has its roots in these qualities, and has better enabled museums to serve their communities,” Mr Bell said.
Since its creation in 1981, MAP has provided more than 5,000 assessments to some 3,500 institutions across America.
Executive Director of the Blount Mansion Museum in Knoxville, Tennessee, Billye Chabot said MAP participants found the program invaluable.
“The Museum Assessment Program helped us as an organisation to begin thinking about museum best practices”, Ms Chabot said.
“This will help us in our goal to become accredited. This experience opened up dialogue and instigated a working relationship with the governing authority [not previously seen] at this level. The peer review was particularly helpful in this regard.” MAP participants apply in one of four assessment categories: collections management, governance, institutional or public dimension. Over the years, MAP participants have reported a range of results: a refining of institutional priorities; improved communication with the public and stakeholders; energised staff and governing authorities and improved clarity concerning the museums’ missions.
18 August, 2009
And From the World in Brief...
In the United Kingdom...
Women in the UK Public Service are still in the minority and earning less than their male colleagues, according to latest research.
The weighted gender gap for full-time workers across the Public Service stands at 15 per cent, with a median pay difference of £4,419 ($A8,838), an analysis of public data by the Liberal Democrat Party has found.
The size of the difference, which is bigger than the national average but lower than the private sector, prompted accusations of the Government failing to “put its own house in order”.
The analysis coincided with the Equality and Human Rights Commission launching a consultation on how companies and voluntary groups should measure and report gender pay differences.
In Liberia...
Liberian Government, District and Country Education Departments have been ordered to submit a list of all those on their respective payrolls amid concerns about ‘ghost workers’
The Civil Service Agency, which issued the order, said it was in line with an audit of all Government payrolls, which would begin shortly.
The Agency warned that Personnel Directors and others submitting such payrolls would be held responsible for any errors.
“Those submitting the lists will be immediately dismissed, if ‘ghost names’ are found on the lists after they have been verified and cross-checked,” a statement from the Agency said.
In Yemen...
Furniture, desks, chairs, and other equipment were destroyed in a fire that broke out at the Ministry of Civil Service.
The fire is believed to have started in the yard behind the Ministry’s Southern Building. Professional fire fighters did not arrived until after the blaze had been put out with the help of water tankers provided by private citizens.
Consultant at the Ministry of Civil Service, Hussein al-Ahjiri said a security team had been assigned to investigate the causes of the incident.
Similar fire incidents broke out at the Ministry of Higher Education and at the Ministry of Public Works last year.
In China...
Primary school students recruited to supervise a Public Service examination caught 25 cheats.
The 18 students in Gansu Province uncovered the cheats while administering the test to 265 candidates for positions as judges, prosecutors and police officers.
A newspaper report said the students were brought in by the Liangzhou District Government to supervise the test to ensure “openness and transparency.”
Other supervisors included officials and middle-school teachers, but the pupils were solely responsible for catching the cheaters. The report did not detail the ages of the children.
In the United States...
An agreement between a Public Service Union and Southold Town Council on Long Island, New York has averted the lay-off of 17 employees including police officers, grounds-keepers and a Bay Constable, responsible for assisting people in distress on the water.
The Council, which had originally announced the lay-offs to reduce a budget shortfall, will now rely on its employees' concessions, forfeiting pay raises next year and contributing five per cent toward town-supplied medical coverage.
Members of the Civil Service Employees Association voted overwhelmingly for the compromise in exchange for the town's
11 August, 2009
UNITED KINGDOM
PS anger at
redundancy plan
A plan to cut redundancy pay for long-serving Public Servants in the UK has been met with outrage from staff and unions.
Under current regulations PS staff with 20 years or more service are entitled to two years' pay if they take voluntary redundancy and three years' if it is compulsory. In an effort to reduce costs, the UK Cabinet Office has proposed that from September they receive 24 weeks’ pay instead.
The Public and Commercial Services union (PCS) described the plan as an "outrageous attempt to cut jobs on the cheap" and predicted huge financial losses for tens of thousands of loyal PS workers.
It is estimated almost 500,000 would be affected by the change.
PS unions had been in negotiation with the Cabinet Office over measures to counter the financial crisis, but the PCS said the new redundancy plan had not been agreed to and it would be seeking further meetings with Ministers.
General Secretary of the PCS, Mark Serwotka said that with politicians and Public Service chiefs talking about slashing public spending, tens of thousands of PCS members were worried about their futures and their livelihoods.
“Instead of addressing these genuine concerns, the Government has piled further pressure and anxiety on its own workforce,” Mr Serwotka said.
"Away from the headlines about bumper pay-outs for mandarins, the vast majority of Public Servants live in the real world where pay is low and pensions are far from gold-plated. The real divide is not between public and private, but between low-paid workers and the very wealthy."
Deputy General Secretary of another union called Prospect, Dai Hudd said his Public Service members were particularly angry that better terms than those proposed had been discussed, albeit as a transition to the new terms, yet the Cabinet Office had knowingly tabled proposals that did not represent the best it could offer.
“While members agree change is necessary, the proposed terms, if implemented as set out, would make Public Service redundancy terms the poorest of the entire public sector and potentially still subject to a legal challenge by the unions,” Mr Hudd said.
“Our members recognise the challenges facing the entire economy, but Prospect will oppose any race to the bottom in terms of redundancy compensation which neither represents fairness nor makes sound economic sense. An equality of misery is misery after all.”
11 August, 2009
IRELAND
Attitude to PS to be polled
The Irish Government is to conduct a survey to find out what the population really thinks of its Public Service.
The Department of the Taoiseach (Prime Minister) has begun work on the survey, which will target all age groups and backgrounds.
It is hoped that it will give the Government an idea of the public’s attitude towards the Public Service Departments and Offices.
The move comes just weeks after the report of An Bord Snip Nua (the Public Service cost-cutting board) headed by University College Dublin economist, Colm McCarthy, which found there was scope to cut 17,000 jobs from the PS wage bill.
According to documents obtained by a newspaper: "It is intended that this survey will commence in September 2009, with the report on the results being submitted to the Department of the Taoiseach in November 2009."
It will be the fifth such survey conducted on behalf of the Government since Fianna Fail gained power in 1997.
However, it is the first time that one has been carried out amid a background of financial chaos and perceived public dissatisfaction.
According to the Prime Minister’s Department, the face-to-face survey will question a minimum of 2,000 adult respondents, "so that meaningful information can be gathered on those who express dissatisfaction with the Civil Service".
The Department is looking for a company to carry out the survey covering all four regional areas -- Dublin, rest of Leinster, Munster and Connaught/Ulster.
Similar surveys of business customers were undertaken in 2002/03 and in 2006.
The An Bord Snip Nua report stated that the Department of Education could cut employee numbers by 6,930.
It has also been suggested that the Government target the Department of Health for 6,168 redundancies.
11 August, 2009
SWAZILAND
IMF urges PS cuts
The Government of Swaziland has been told to cuts its Public Service as a way of keeping public spending under control.
The warning came from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) which said PS reforms were necessary to release funding for higher national priorities such as health and education.
Principal Secretary in the Ministry of Finance, Dumsani Masilela said the Government had taken note of the observation.
The Swazi Government had recently increased salaries for Public Servants across the board at a cost of about E346 million ($A52 million). The IMF team called for financial management and Public Service reforms.
Head of the IMF team, Norbert Toe, met Swaziland’s Prime Minister, Barnabas Sibusiso Dlamini and other senior Ministers, Public Servants, donor and private sector representatives.
During the meeting, Mr Toe proposed the implementation of a value added tax to broaden the country’s tax base.
The team said cuts in expenditure should be made, although there should be additional spending on education, health and other priority programs.
Mr Toe said Swaziland was being adversely affected by the second round effects of the global economic downturn, albeit to a lesser extent than small open economies.
Mr Masilela said that while some fiscal loosening to support domestic demand in the face of the significant weakening of economic activity in Swaziland may be warranted, the IMF mission stressed the need to maintain fiscal sustainability.
11 August, 2009
PHILIPPINES
Missed quotas cost
staff jobs
Four Customs Officers in the Philippines have been dismissed for failing to meet revenue collection targets.
The officials, employed by the Port of Manila-Bureau of Customs (POM-BOC) had been dismissed by the Revenue Performance Evaluation Board (RPEB) of the Department of Finance (DOF) for falling below their targets in 2007.
Commissioner of the Bureau of Customs, Napoleon Morales said the officials had not given sufficient reasons why they had fallen below their targets. A fifth official originally accused would continue at his post after his statement had been considered and accepted.
The BOC’s 2007 collection was P17.7 billion ($A45 million) short of its P228.2-billion ($A5.7 billion) target because of the high foreign exchange rate and reduction of tariff rates.
The Port of Manila, considered one of the top revenue earners for the BOC, fell short of its P74.68 billion ($A1.85 billion) target by nearly P6 billion ($A15 million).
The sacked officials have the right to appeal to the Civil Service Commission, but Mr Morales said that even if their began the appeal process the dismissal order would still be implemented.
The Philippines Government is heavily dependent on customs revenue to prop up an ailing economy, further weakened by political uncertainties and a seemingly endless war with Muslim separatists groups in its southern provinces.
11 August, 2009
UNITED STATES
Post Office suffers
huge losses
The United States Postal Service has been hard-hit by the Global Financial Crisis, reporting a $US2.4 billion ($A2.85 billion) loss in the third quarter and a drop in mail volumes of more than 12 per cent.
As a result the Service is forecasting a $US7 billion ($A8.30 billion) loss by the end of the year. Mail volume had already been affected by Americans' wider use of the Internet.
With much of the debate about the Postal Service's future focussing on cutting the mail service to five days per week, removing under-used mail boxes and possibly closuring hundreds of Post Offices, the Postal Services’ financial problems can be tied in large measure to around $7 billion in payments it must make each year to fund current and future retiree health benefits.
Postmaster General, John Potter said the Post Office simply could not afford these costs.
Mr Potter said the payments would contribute to a $700 million ($A830 million) cash shortfall at the end of its fiscal year in late September unless Congress quickly changed the payment rules.
"The Postal Service does not want to do anything that would disrupt this economy,” Mr Potter said.
“Over a trillion dollars moves through the mail in any given year and we are a hub of an industry that employs some eight million Americans. We have no intention of doing anything that would disrupt the flow of mail."
The Postal Service has taken several steps to reduce costs in recent years, including salary and hiring freezes and cuts to its workforce and mail routes. It now employs 630,000 workers, down from a peak of 802,000 in 1999.
More than 12,000 carrier routes have been cut and consolidated with others since 2000, and the Service recently renegotiated more than 300 service contracts, saving $US200 million ($A237 million).
11 August, 2009
NIGERIA
Invalid appointments lead to sackings
Over a thousand Public Servants appointed in the last few months of the outgoing State Government of Ondo in Nigeria have been sacked by the new Government.
A statement by the new Administration said the appointment of the sacked Public Servants, originally employed as ‘Environmental Vanguards’, had failed to follow due process.
It also said that with effect from next year, promotion examinations will form part of a “clearly defined performance criteria in efforts to rejuvenate the Civil Service and set it on the path of rebirth and growth”.
Head of the Ondo Public Service, Ajose Kudehinbu said the appointment of the Environmental Vanguards was not made by the Civil Service Commission.
“Their appointment is alien to the normal Civil Service procedures which stipulate that such appointments should be carried out by the Commission not a Ministry,” Mr Kudehinbu said.
The Environmental Vanguards had been appointed with the aim of clearing organic waste in the State to go to a fertiliser factory. They had not been paid since the new Government came to office.
Giving more details of the proposed Public Service examination reform, Mr Kudehinbu said from 1 January next year, the Ondo State Civil Service Commission would set compulsory promotional examinations.
“This will rejuvenate the Public Service and set it on the path of rebirth and growth,” he said.
“The Government is committed to filling existing vacancies in critical areas, to allow Ministries, Departments and Government Agencies to receive sufficient staff to make for prompt and better delivery of service to the people.”
In a related matter, Mr Kudehinbu denied that Public Servants were leaking official secrets to politicians in order to earn promotion.
“All those who were recently promoted deserved it after going through a rigorous screening,” Mr Kudehinbu said.
However, he admitted he was concerned at the increasing politicisation of the Public Service, saying it threatened great danger.
11 August, 2009
CAYMAN ISLANDS
Planned cuts spark
mass meeting
The Head of the Cayman Islands Civil Service, Donovan Ebanks has called a meeting of all Public Servants to explain the Government’s response to the global financial downturn which includes PS pay cuts, shorter hours and job losses.
Public employees will hear more details on the Government’s plans for reductions in public spending.
With a deficit of around $76 million last year and the prospects of an even greater one for the next financial year, Leader of Government Business, McKeeva Bush has said there will have to be cuts and the cost of the Public Service is by far the Government’s biggest outlay.
Mr Bush said the number of Public Servants in Cayman and the cost of salaries and benefits for them had both increased by more than 50 per cent in the past five years.
In calendar year 2005, there were 2,404 Public Servants with a personnel budget of $163.8 million. By 2008, the last full year for which figures are available, the number of Public Servants had jumped to 3,801 and the Central Government’s personnel budget increased to $245.2 million.
There had been rumours of a 20 per cent pay reduction across the board, but these have been denied.
Mr Ebanks and the President of the Civil Service Association, James Watler wrote to all Government workers pointing out the seriousness of the situation.
Mr Watler said the association will be doing all it can to encourage Public Servants to make cuts in the course of their duties such as reducing the use of company vehicles and cutting down on utility usage and overtime demands to help reduce the deficit. He said the Association was opposed to cutting jobs.
Mr Watler said increasing Government personnel costs didn’t necessarily equate to more Public Servants being hired. For instance, between 2007 and 2008, there was a small reduction in the total number of Public Service jobs partly due to attrition from a “soft” hiring policy.
“Two years ago we raised the concern that the Public Service was getting top heavy,” Mr. Watler said, referring to the number of employees in middle or upper management positions.
He said an effort to decentralise the hiring process within Government that took effect in January 2007 led to the hiring of many highly-paid human resources professionals in separate Departments. Hiring decisions were previously made by the Civil Service Commission with Government Department heads acting more as administrators than personnel managers.
Mr. Watler said the Government had increased the workload on Public Servants without providing additional funds or resources, with the newly-enacted Freedom of Information Law a prime example.
“Most Departments did not hire an FOI manager,” he said.
“Those responsibilities were merely shifted to a person who already had a full time job.”
11 August, 2009
ZIMBABWE
Government working ‘flat out’ for PS
Zimbabwe’s Government of National Unity claims it is working ‘flat out’ to improve the conditions of the nation’s Public Servants.
Deputy Minister of Higher and Tertiary Education, Senator Luta Tapela, made the claim while presiding at the graduation of students from Marymount Teachers College.
A total of 192 students were conferred with diplomas after completing a three-year teaching program at the college, in Mutare.
The graduation ceremony, the 30th for the college, also saw the first group of 42 early childhood graduates who also underwent a rigorous three-year training program.
Senator Tapela commended the teachers for their dedication and commitment to duty during the harsh economic environment, saying the Government was looking at ways to address Public Servants’ working conditions.
He said the impact of HIV and AIDS on the teaching profession could not be over-emphasised and urged the graduating students to be proactive and to work hard to ensure that they succeed in their professional careers.
The condition of Public Servants in Zimbabwe has been under stress for months, firstly when soaring inflation eroded their pay to the point where it was almost worthless.
The Government tried to remedy the situation by paying Public Servants an ‘allowance’ of $US100 ($A119) a month, and while the American dollar kept its value, it was still insufficient for most Public Servants to feed and clothe their families.
More recently the allowance has been increased according to seniority and the demands of the professions – for instance, teachers will now receive $US155 ($A186 a month) – but the PS salary bill now exceeds more than half of the country’s total budget.
11 August, 2009
NIGERIA
Call to raise retirement age
The President of Nigeria has been urged to raise the retirement age of Public Servants in his country as a way of utilising their valuable experience and improve service delivery.
Minister for the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), Senator Muhammad Adamu Aliero said Nigeria must adequately tap into the experience of older Public Servants so there was an urgent need for President Umaru Yar’Adua to review the retirement age.
Speaking at the retirement reception held for the Permanent Secretary of the FCTA, Rafiq Ogunbambi, Senator Aliero noted that at 60, Dr Ogunbambi was still looking strong and agile with lots of experience that could be brought to bear in formulating and implementing Government policies and programs.
Senator Aliero said he was disturbed at what he described as the sluggish and lacklustre implementation of a new procurement process and ordered all Secretaries, Departments and Agencies to conduct their own procurements including the opening of the bid, assessment and evaluation.
“It is unacceptable that bids opened six weeks ago have still not received an evaluation report,” he said.
However, The Head of Service of the Federation (HOS), Stephen Oronsaye, said the Federal Public Service could attain the same quality as its equivalent in developed countries.
Speaking at an advisory forum of serving and retired Permanent Secretaries, Mr Oronsaye stressed the importance of the role the Public Service played in ensuring good governance and efficient public administration.
"We must restore public trust in the Public Service as a professional, efficient, effective, reliable and accountable institution,” Mr Oronsaye said.
11 August, 2009
In the Maldives...
Six Permanent Secretaries in the Maldives Public Service have been sacked as an economy drive.
The Civil Service Commission (CSC) said the sackings had been carried in order to comply with instructions from the Anti Corruption Commission (ACC) that Ministries with more than one Permanent Secretary were in breach of regulations.
The dismissed officials were from the Home Ministry, Ministry of Health and Family, Ministry of Human Resources, Youth and Sport, Finance Ministry and two from the Ministry of Housing, Transport and Environment.
Permanent secretaries receive a salary of Rf20, 500 ($A1,910) as well as an additional allowance of Rf15, 000 ($A1,397) a month.
In Northern Ireland…
Northern Ireland’s Public Servants are to use the Irish national carrier, Aer Lingus, to fly between Belfast and London after the airline won a recently-offered contract.
The two-year deal means the company will be the sole carrier for the Northern Ireland Public Service between Belfast International and Heathrow.
In recent months there has been criticism of the amount of money which the Northern Ireland Public Service spends on travel.
Commenting on claims that a ban has been introduced on business class travel within the Northern Ireland Public Service, a spokesman for the Department of Finance said it had been long standing policy for staff to take the most economical method of travel available.
In Nepal…
Several Public Service Secretaries have been transferred and 24 promoted in a major reshuffle by the newly-formed Government of Nepal.
Minister for Information and Communication, Shanker Pokhrel said the Cabinet had proposed Rukma Shumsher Rana as Ambassador to India and Shanker Sharma as Ambassador to the United States.
Baman Neupane had been transferred to the President's Office after Umesh Mainali resigned.
Included in the long list of appointments were Keshav Bhattarai and Yubraj Pandey to the Public Service Commission.
In Jamaica…
Stamp duty and transfer tax reductions are to be implemented five months ahead of schedule after the Jamaican Tax Administration Department reported a drastic fall in real estate transactions.
Minister of Finance and the Public Service, Audley Shaw said the move would cost the Government $J644 million ($A8.75 million) in revenue, but was expected to stimulate a recovery in property sales and construction investments.
“These proposed rates will bring Jamaica’s stamp duty and transfer tax rates more in line with international standards,” Mr Shaw said.
“This initiative is supported by the Government’s efforts, through the Office of the Prime Minister, to accelerate the application and approval process in the housing and construction industry.”
In India…
The Haj Committee of India has decided to provide coaching classes for Muslim aspirants to the Indian Public Service.
Chief Executive Officer of the Committee, Muhammed Owais said potential students will have to pass an entrance test to the classes but will be subsidised thereafter.
“We want our people to strive for the august job of serving the country," Mr Owais said. “The competitive spirit is lacking amongst the members of our community, particularly in Maharashtra where in 2007, not one Muslim qualified through the State’s Public Service examinations,” he said.
4 August, 2009
UNITED KINGDOM
Agency outsources
jobs to India
Plans by a Public Service Corporation in Britain to outsource more than 100 finance and IT jobs to India have angered PS unions and created controversy for the UK Government.
The jobs, at the British Council statutory authority, are part of a cost-cutting drive to save the taxpayer money. Unions fear this could be the start of a flood of outsourcing to India.
It is believed to be the first time a Civil Service or quango (quasi-autonomous non-government organisation) has directly exported jobs to save costs.
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office, which funds the British Council, is exploring similar options.
The Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS), which represents Public Servants, said that the British Council decision went against Prime Minister Gordon Brown’s stated principle of “British jobs for British people” and could not be justified during a recession.
The Council, which promotes British culture and language abroad, said that 500 of its 1,300 British workers would have to go in the next 18 months to save £45 million ($A90 million). More than a fifth of these posts are to be filled in India and the Council plans to bring some of the Indian recruits over to “shadow” finance staff in Manchester.
The proposals coincide with the Treasury’s review of quangos, which cost the taxpayer £64 billion ($A128 billion) a year. The Treasury wants to cut or merge as many as possible.
Chief Executive of the British Council, Martin Davidson said that 280 of the 500 back-office staff to be cut were permanent and the remainder were agency, part-time or contract staff.
Mr Davidson said the Council’s budget had already been cut by 10 per cent and he had drawn up a further £25 million ($A50 million) in efficiency savings. It makes about £450 million ($A900 million) from its commercial programs including language and teaching courses.
Spokesman for PCS, Dave Cliff described the move as a disgrace.
“The British Council is an educational and cultural organisation to support British culture, but a big part of this organisation is now going to be based abroad,” Mr Cliff said.
“I hope most of the cuts can be made through voluntary redundancies.”
Mr Davidson said the Council hoped the job losses would be voluntary and a spokesman for the Cabinet Office said it was unlikely that other Government Departments would send jobs offshore, partly for security reasons.
Final decisions about which jobs will go to India will be taken in the next few weeks, but they are expected to include 58 finance posts, up to 40 IT posts and 15 posts for a new centre of excellence.
4 August, 2009
UNITED KINGDOM
Cabinet Office urges PS onto Twitter
Public Servants in the United Kingdom have been urged by the Cabinet Office to embrace the social networking site Twitter as a way to communicate official messages in a more informal and ‘human’ way.
The Cabinet Office has issued a directive saying between two and 10 ‘Tweets’ a day -- at least 30 minutes apart to avoid overwhelming addressees – would constitute an “informal, human voice to promote comprehension of and engagement with our corporate messages”.
The advocacy of Twitter follows experiments with the service by staff at 10 Downing Street and the British Foreign Office, among others, and will be evaluated every three months.
Head of Corporate Digital Channels at the Cabinet Office’s Department of Business, Innovation and Skills, Neil Williams said he was surprised by just how much there was to say (about Twitter) and quite how worth saying it was.
The Cabinet Office has also considered several risks of using Twitter including accidentally leaking private information, other security issues, and intermittent down time, but sees it as a good way to update the public on news releases, YouTube videos, Flickr photos, Ministers' movements and insights and directions during a crisis.
Other Governments and Government officials also use Twitter, including Spain and the Prime Ministers of Denmark, Norway and Canada, although most don't have formal policies on micro-blogging.
American policies on Twitter appear to be mixed. White House Press Secretary, Robert Gibbs initially said that Twitter was blocked on official White House computers.
Later reports said that Mr Gibbs was wrong and the White House media team does Tweet, as does the Center for Disease Control (CDC) in order to update the public on the H1N1 virus, tainted food products, and other issues of public health.
The next step for the British Cabinet Office is to set down how and when Public Servants should support, encourage and manage Ministers' use of Twitter for Departmental business.
4 August, 2009
IRELAND
New PS to have elite core
A management elite of about 150 senior positions has been identified as the core of a new top-level management for a rejuvenated and restructured Irish Public Service.
The new elite would provide leadership not only for Government Departments but for Local Authorities, health services and hundreds of State Agencies.
Eventually about 1,000 elite managers would move throughout the wider public sector and, sometimes, even in and out of private firms, if the Senior Public Service (SPS) model gets off the ground next year.
This will implement the recommendation made a year ago in the OECD review of the Irish Public Service that there should be a special higher echelon of public managers comparable to the graduates of France’s École Nationale d’Administration (ÉNA).
The Irish effort centres on improving Public Service performance by ending the tradition where Department of Finance Officers secured the best positions.
The new SPS could extend to 750 Public Servants above Principal Officer level and hundreds of other managers in the Health Service Executive, Local Authorities and State Agencies.
Related to this are current moves to offer early retirement to public sector officials over 50, but experience shows that such redundancy schemes often lead to the loss of some talented and efficient people.
Some Public Servants in the 50-plus category may take a hint from the Government’s Public Service Task Force suggestion that careers of senior managers should be planned on a system-wide basis and that potential leaders should be identified early in their career and given a range of work placements and training opportunities to assist their development.
The initial SPS is expected to be up and running by the end of 2010. It would be associated with a streamlining of all employment terms and conditions and pension entitlements across the Public Service, at least for the more senior of the nation’s 350,000 Public Servants.
Unions have accused the Government of using the crisis in public finances as a reason to push for reform but recent decisions of the Association of Higher Civil and Public Servants not to back union action over pension levies and charges suggests that sections of the Public Service are supportive of the plans.
4 August, 2009
FRANCE
Post Office sale a
step closer
The sale of the French Post Office to private interests could be a step closer following the French Government’s decision to restructure the Agency as a public limited company.
Cabinet signed off on the proposal at its last meeting before the summer break, saying the change of status to a public limited company was necessary to prepare for the sector's liberalisation in 2011, under European Union rules.
Minister for Economy, Christine Lagarde and Minister for Industry, Christian Estrosi said in a joint statement that in this context, La Poste would need big investments in the next years in order to modernise and develop and guarantee a high quality of service.
Unions and the Parliamentary Opposition are likely to oppose the change, which is part of President Nicolas Sarkozy's reform agenda, and vigorous debate is expected in the autumn, with the Socialist Party calling for a national referendum on the question.
The Government has promised La Poste will remain 100 per cent publicly owned and that its key functions - providing a postal service across the country, six days a week, at steady prices - will be guaranteed.
But thousands of postal workers have taken to the streets in protest over the past year, calling the plan a sell-out of an institution that most French want to remain public.
Once considered a tranquil sector, postal services across Europe have faced an overhaul as the market moves towards liberalisation. Germany has ended Deutsche Post's monopoly status and tax advantages, while Britain was going to sell up to a third of State-owned Royal Mail until poor market conditions forced it to put the plan on hold earlier this month.
But to many in France, the State-owned postal system is an example of tax-funded public service at its best, with La Poste carriers delivering letters and parcels to even the most remote areas.
The Post Office employs about 300,000 people and runs a savings company where most French hold an account. The Government says that if it is not modernised, foreign companies will move in and take over once the sector opens to competition under European Union rules, in 2011.
4 August, 2009
CANADA
PS staff take prize for sickies
Staff of Canada’s Federal Public Service have the highest rates of absenteeism in the country according to a study conducted by the nation’s official statistics agency, Statistics Canada.
The Agency found that last year, Federal employees were absent 16.2 days on average, between sick leave, family demands, and other personal reasons. The days off were in addition to vacation days, maternity leave and other scheduled time off.
Statistics Canada said health-care and social-service workers were absent the most.
The study showed that absenteeism rates in all sectors of the economy had been rising since the late 1990s with an average of 7.4 days lost per worker per year in 1997 up to 10.2 days in 2007.
Statistics Canada said the biggest contributing factors in the increasing absentee rates were the ageing workforce, having more women in the workforce, higher stress levels and more generous sick- and family-related leave policies in some industries.
Human resources consultant, Bob Fortier said he would also rate low morale as a significant contributing factor.
“Government workers, like others, have been asked to do more with less for a long time and this has led to frustration, burnout and stress,” Mr Fortier said
“This is especially true in the Federal Public Service.
“It's a fact that when people are happy, they show up for work more, and when they are unhappy, they show up for work less."
Executive Vice President of the Public Service Alliance of Canada, Patty Ducharme said a recent survey showed more than a quarter of Federal employees reported being harassed in some way by superiors in the last few years and four out of five felt they were discriminated against in some manner. The Alliance is the major union representing Canada’s Federal employees.
“I would think this is a big contributor to these rates,” Ms Ducharme said.
“Other contributing factors include a high-stress environment, the ageing workforce, and the number of young mothers now working for the Government.”
She said Federal workers take the days they need off because they can, while the numbers were lower in other sectors because people could not take the time without losing pay.
“If they had these benefits, they would take them, but they don't, so they go to work sick,” she said.
4 August, 2009
IRELAND
Retirement scheme
fails to deliver
The Irish Department of Finance has revealed that only 277 Public Servants, including two Assistant Secretaries, had been approved to take early retirement under a generous new incentive scheme, despite its initial estimate that up to 3,500 would.
The figures also show that 39 staff in various State agencies have had their applications to retire early under the scheme approved.
The early retirement plan was announced several months ago as part of a number of initiatives aimed at reducing the State’s payroll costs.
It allows eligible public sector workers over the age of 50 to retire without “actuarial deduction” of pension entitlements. Ten per cent of the relevant lump sum would be paid immediately with the balance paid at the normal retirement age of 60 or 65.
As a further incentive the full lump sum would not be taxed for Public Servants who retired now, even if the Government introduced such a measure in the future.
Department of Finance figures showed that 480 staff had applied to leave. Of the 277 who had been approved so far, 34 were principal officers in the Civil Service including six in the Department of the Environment, six in the Comptroller and Auditor General’s Office and five in the Department of Health.
Among those to retire early in the wider Public Service were eight in the Health Service Executive, 15 in the National Training and Employment Authority and seven in the Agriculture and Food Development Authority.
The new figures also reveal that 200 staff are to leave under the new incentivised career break scheme.
Under this scheme, the Government has offered staff a special payment of up to €12,500 ($A24,500) each year if they take a three-year break from their careers. The Department said that 603 staff had applied to take career breaks.
4 August, 2009
ISRAEL
More Arabs joining PS
The Israeli Civil Service Commission has reported that the number of Druze and Arab employees of its Public Service has increased threefold in just six years.
The CSC said that in 2003 there were 193 Druze and Arab workers employed. This had increased to 578 this year, constituting 11.6 per cent of Public Service personnel.
In the same period the number of Druze and Arab women employed by the various Government Bureaus rose from 66 in 2003, to 282 in 2009.
The data further revealed that that 70.9 per cent of all Druze and Arab workers have an academic education, 11.4 per cent of them have PhDs and 9.2 per cent have a Master's degree.
A statement from the Civil Service Commission said that 36 per cent of Druze and Arab workers were employed by the Ministry of the Interior, 16 per cent by the Ministry of Science and Technology, 8.5 per cent by the Ministry of Social Affairs, eight per cent by the Ministry of Health and seven per cent are employed by the Ministry of Education.
The Prime Minister's Office and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs rounded off the list with between one and 1.5 per cent of Druze or Arabs among their personnel.
The Ministry for the Development of the Negev and Galilee and the Ministry of Pensioner Affairs have no Druze or Arabs employees.
Normally a dry recital of these statistics would arouse little interest in Israel, but a debate is continuing over whether its Arab and Druze citizens, the fastest-growing minority in the country, have divided loyalties in the continuing confrontation with Palestinians and other Arab neighbours.
4 August, 2009
UNITED KINGDOM
Defence sparks anger in compo cases
The British Ministry of Defence is fighting widespread criticism for launching High Court action to cut compensation payments to two soldiers injured in Afghanistan.
The MoD is trying to reduce the soldiers’ payouts by more than 66 per cent.
The Court action comes at a time British troops are suffering their heaviest casualties since the beginning of the conflict in Afghanistan in 2001and in addition to 20 British soldiers being killed in southern Afghanistan in July and a surge in the numbers of those sustaining severe injuries.
Critics said the Ministry's treatment of wounded servicemen, some of whom had returned home injured only to start fighting the Ministry over compensation, was “unseemly”.
Defence Secretary [Minister] in the Conservative Government from 1992-95, Sir Malcolm Rifkind said the problem was not new.
“When I was Defence Secretary, medical advice given to the Ministry was that post-traumatic stress disorder did not even exist,” Sir Malcolm said.
“While that debate is behind us, the issue of how to compensate personnel who have suffered physical or mental injury is still on-going.”
He said that part of the problem was a clash of two cultures - a Public Service culture and a military one.
“The real issue here is scale - how much should be paid in compensation for injury. “Of course, such payments should be generous,” he said.
“Awards always used to be made and the system existed for many years, but problems arose when Courts began to award very high settlements in civil cases.”
Sir Malcolm said that currently, soldiers who were injured in the course of duty were compensated under the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme, set up in 2005, but recent generous civil payouts have exposed the shortcomings of the arrangement.
He said the current situation centred on compensation awarded to a soldier with the Light Dragoons and a Royal Marine. Both men managed to increase significantly the sums awarded to them by appealing to a tribunal.
The Ministry of Defence, concerned at the prospect of a big rise in the level of payouts, went to the High Court to try to overturn the ruling and suspended disbursements for three months for all but the worst injuries.
A Ministry spokesman it was committed through the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme to paying appropriate compensation to wounded service personnel.
“It is not appropriate to compare the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme to civil negligence awards,” the spokesman said.
“The Armed Forces Compensation Scheme is a no-fault scheme. This means it is not necessary to go to Court or prove negligence in order to receive an award, unlike civil damages cases.”
4 August, 2009
UGANDA
PS dodges damage
on car purchases
The Public Service Ministry in Uganda has distanced itself from a controversial decision to buy luxury new cars for Government Ministers and Army Generals, saying it was not consulted before the vehicles were purchased.
Appearing before the Parliamentary Committee on Public Service and Local Government, the Minister for Public Service, Sezi Mbaguta, said her Ministry was not even informed of the plan to buy the cars.
“We are not aware that Ministers acquired new vehicles,” Ms Mbaguta said.
“We are in the process of carrying out a new census of all Government vehicles to enable a cut in the maintenance costs.
“If I had known about these new cars, I would have acquired one because I have no vehicle and I need one."
Officials from the Ministry of Finance had earlier said they did not authorise the purchase of the new vehicles, valued at 200 million Ugandan shillings ($A100,000) each. Ms Mbaguta said the responsibility for the acquisition of new vehicles lay with individual accounting officers.
She said vehicles were needed to perform Government work but warned Permanent Secretaries against “misuse of Government vehicles".
Government officials were reported to be increasingly using Government vehicles to do private work. Ms Mbaguta was responding to MPs' concerns that more than 20 Cabinet Ministers and senior Government officials have acquired new vehicles which have cost the Ugandan taxpayer billions of shillings.
One MP, Rebecca Otengo suggested that Parliament put a ban on the acquisition of new vehicles until the Ministry of Public Service has completed a census of the existing fleet.
Meanwhile, Ms Mbaguta announced a five per cent pay raise for Public Servants as part of wider efforts to shield them from inflationary pressures.
4 August, 2009
JAMAICA
Job cuts denied in IMF deal
Public Servants in the Caribbean country of Jamaica have been assured by their Prime Minister that the nation’s re-engagement with the International Monetary Fund would not lead on to massive PS job cuts.
Prime Minister, Bruce Golding met Public Service Union leaders as part of his continuing effort to downplay the opposition to the Government's plan to return to the IMF.
Unions have expressed concern that any money from the IMF would come with the condition that the Government cut its wage bill.
After the meeting Vice President of the Jamaica Confederation of Trade Unions, Danny Roberts reported that Mr Golding had said there were no plans to cut the Public Service and this had not been raised by the IMF in any of the discussions.
Mr Roberts said Minister of Finance, Audley Shaw had warned of the divestment or merger of some public sector entities but said this was already being discussed before talks started with the IMF.
“It was a useful meeting and part of the need for consultation and dialogue which we have always encouraged,” Mr Roberts said.
“We have accepted that there is no alternative outside of an IMF loan, but we want to get an idea of how the Government plans to earn its way out of this crisis.”
Mr Roberts said the unions used the opportunity to outline their position on the changes which are necessary to increase productivity and to position the country to grow out of its present problems in the wake of any IMF loan.