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SearchArchives for August 2010
31 August, 2010GHANA Assurance given on back pay Ghanaian Public Servants have been assured they will be paid wages owing to them from January, February and March of this year. Chief Executive of the Fair Wages Commission, George Smith-Graham said the wages were due to be paid by the end of August, as well as a 10 per cent payrise across the board. He said wages owed from April to June were due to be paid by the end of September. Mr Smith-Graham said the pay issues were part of the implementation of the Single Spine Salary Structure, a pay reform measure to ensure equivalent jobs in different Departments were paid within the same wage range. He was touring Northern Ghana to brief Public Servants on the latest developments of the pay structure and said the Commission had finished negotiations with Organised Labour and Associations on the base pay and re-evaluation of 210 jobs. He told the Public Servants he met to ignore salary structures being circulated, as they were not officially sanctioned by the Fair Wages Commission. The Director for Pay Policy and Analysis at the Commission, John Yaw Amankwa, said the structure was first implemented by the Ghana Police Service. Mr Amankwa said placement on the new, graded structure was based on the results of a job evaluation exercise that surveyed over 5,000 Public Service employees. 31 August, 2010 CANADA One per cent pay rise accepted Canadian Public Servants in Nova Scotia have accepted a contract providing a one per cent pay rise for each of the next two years. President of the Nova Scotia Government and General Employees Union, Joan Jessome said she was happy with the job security language used in the contract but warned the union would not accept such low increases next time. “Nobody was happy about the money and I think that’s why the vote [in favour] wasn’t high,” Ms Jessome said. She said only 65 per cent of the votes were in favour of the agreement. “I think the vote says they can live with this for another year and a half, but I think they certainly aren’t pleased with one per cent,” she said. Deputy Premier, Frank Corbett said he realised the union would be dissatisfied with only one per cent, but even that small concession would cost the Government an extra C$8 million (A$8.45 million) over the two years. “If the books dictated it and we could have given 2.9 [per cent increase], we may have been negotiating from that point,” Mr Corbett said, “but the fact of the matter is [the books] didn’t allow us that.” The contract was retroactive to 1 April 2010 and would run through to 31 March 2012. 31 August, 2010 SOUTH AFRICA PS strike raises health fears The Public Service strike in South Africa has raised concerns that HIV and AIDS patients are missing out on treatment. A non-striking doctor at a Government hospital, Dr Ashraf Coovadia said his HIV and AIDS clinic normally saw around 70 patients per day, but since the strikes, only 20 to 30 patients come into the clinic. He said patients could fear violence from crossing picket lines or could believe the hospital was closed. “The situation is quite volatile,” Dr Coovadia said. The health workers’ union which called the strike rejected Dr Coovadia’s fears. Union spokesperson Sizwe Pamla said the a skeleton staff had been planned to care for critical patients, but the standard of talks with the Government had made it difficult to keep the workers from joining the picket lines. “This country has got millions of people with HIV who need care,” Mr Pamla said. “It’s sad that we are sitting here blaming each other.” South African President Jacob Zuma condemned those who had gone on strike. “Even during the dark days of liberation this never happened,” Mr Zuma said, speaking at a funeral. “This will taint our history and legacy when you have women giving birth on the street.” The Government had sent around 3,000 soldiers and medics to hospitals across the country to maintain order and help patients during the strike. The Department of Defence denied claims the military would also strike with a spokesman saying the South Africa National Defence Force (SANDF) was a responsible organisation. “Members of the SANDF will not join the strike,” the spokesman, Siphiwe Dlamini, said, “as doing so will be going against the prescripts of the Constitution and the Defence Act.” After a riot by Defence personnel last year, the President doubled the pay of the lowest-paid soldiers and announced an intention to de-unionise the military. Meanwhile, two more teachers’ unions, the South African Teachers Union (SAOU) and the National Professional Teachers Organisation of South Africa (NAPTOSA), have voted to join the strike. SAOU member, Chris Klopper said there would not be a large impact on students. “The State saw fit to close schools for much, much longer during the World Cup and you didn’t hear any cock crow about that,” Mr Klopper said. President of NAPTOSA, Ezra Ramasehla said his union members did not want to strike because it would have a ‘very negative’ impact on students. “Pupils without teachers don’t have guidance,” Mr Ramasehla said. 31 August, 2010 CZECH REPUBLIC Pay cut leads PS pay overhaul Czech Public Servants are to have their pay cut by 10 per cent under a proposal being put forward by the Minister for Labour and Social Affairs, Jaromic Drabek. Mr Drabek presented his draft legislation to journalists, showing two conditions for the proposal. He said the first condition set a maximum period for incremental pay rises to replace automatic increases. He said the current practice of an automatic payrise based on length of service offered workers no incentive to improve their skills and only motivated them to remain in their present jobs. The second condition was to allocate new, equal base pay categories for all Public Servants, with pay increases applied only through competency-based bonuses. The amount of the bonuses would be determined by the worker’s competence. According to Mr Drabek, instead of the current flat 50 per cent bonus, individual bonuses could be increased to 100 or even 200 per cent, depending on how well the employee performed. The new base pay categories would not apply to teachers and other school employees, health care workers, soldiers or the police force. The Department of Labour and Social Affairs has sent the draft legislation to other Departments for comment. 31 August, 2010 GERMANY Conscription goes to save funds A reform to the German armed forces could see the end to military conscription. It would also cut the Defence budget. Minister for Defence, Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg has proposed phasing out mandatory conscription in practice, but keeping it in the constitution. According to Mr Guttenberg, the Army has over 250,000 soldiers in it currently, but that would go down to 165,000 under the proposal, including around 7,500 non-professional soldiers. While the end of conscription would save €1.5 billion (A$2.12 billion) on the German Government’s bottom line, Mr Guttenberg has been ordered by the Department of Finance to cut €8.2 billion (A$11.6 billion) from Defence spending. By ending conscription, a German Public Service program would also fold up as well since many conscientious objectors and others with exemptions are absorbed into the PS to serve the same six months they would have if they had been accepted for compulsory military service. The ‘PS conscripts’ provide inexpensive labour for hospitals, nursing homes and other social institutions. Spokesman for the Office of Civilian Service, Roland Hartmann said that if the proposal went through, Germany could end up using the money it saved on Defence to prop up social services, as the conscripts provided many social services for very low wages. “They transport people in hospitals, they move patients from place to place, they stay in a room with patients when they wake up after an operation,” Mr Hartmann said. “They bring old people to the doctor, or buy something to eat for them.” Minister for Families, Kristina Schröder said she planned to propose a voluntary civil service program and make it available to women who were not eligible for military call-up, in order to fill some of the 90,000 jobs left open by ending conscription. 31 August, 2010 TAIWAN Payrise concerns for PS The Taiwanese Government is unsure whether to pay its Public Servants a bonus or a pay rise this year. Premier Wu Den-Yi said the Government needed to consider the country’s economic growth before it could make the decision. He said the Government also had to consider the high unemployment rate of 5.2 per cent. Mr Wu said the Government was afraid that a Public Service pay increase would trigger inflation in commodity prices, making it harder for those not in the Public Service to earn a living or gain employment. He said if the Government was to issue a bonus instead of a pay rise, it would be equal to a fortnight’s pay. Mayor of Taipei, Hau Lung-bin supported the plan for a bonus and said the move would boost the morale of Government employees. Mr Hau said a Public Service bonus would also encourage the private sector to increase their employees’ wages which would stimulate private spending and fuel economic growth. The Opposition accused the Government of planning the bonuses to coincide with mayoral elections, with one MP cautioning the Government to take the issue seriously and consider greater economic issues before handing out the bonuses. 31 August, 2010 INDIA New entrance test for PS The Indian Civil Services Preliminary Exam is to be replaced with a Civil Services Aptitude Test. Minister for Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions in the Indian Government, Prithviraj Chavan, said the compulsory aptitude test would replace the optional preliminary tests The move has attracted criticism however with the Director of the public service training centre the Brain Tree Academy, Gopala Krishna saying the new system would be biased towards urban students and lack necessary information on the methods to be used in the aptitude test. “There is no clarity on how the aptitude of a student will be tested through objective questions,” Mr Krishna said. Public service trainer, Narasimha Murthy said there would be issues with people who had previously failed civil service testing re-taking the new test. “Unless there is a specific action plan, the new system will only lead to utter confusion,” Mr Murthy said. Mr Chavan said the Government would provide syllabus details soon. Proposals to introduce compulsory aptitude testing had been debated in Government since 2000 and Indian Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh raised it at a Public Service Commission function in November last year. 31 August, 2010 ZIMBABWE Price rise prompts pay case An increase in the price of bread has led Public Servants in Zimbabwe to call for a payrise. The PS pay call follows a decision by the bakers in Zimbabwe to increase the price of bread by 10 per cent, claiming wheat shortages, the floods in Pakistan and the drought in Russia had added to their costs. But the move by the public servants has been criticised with economic analysts that if the Government increased PS salaries to compensate for the rise in bread prices, inflation would go up across the board. Many Public Servants in Zimbabwe are paid as little as US$170 (A$188) per month and discontent over the low salaries has been growing since teachers went on strike at the beginning of the year. In a press release, the bakers said they were aware of the effects a price rise would have but had no choice. “We have to come up with a price that is convenient to consumers while we also remain profitable,” the bakers said. Minister for Agriculture, Joseph Made said the Government was doing all it could to limit inflation and if it was found that the bakers were trying to profit from the natural disasters in Pakistan and Russia, their price increase would be reversed. 31 August, 2010 UNITED STATES University strike averted The biggest planned labour strike since Barack Obama became President of the United States was called off just days before it was set to begin. Three thousand Public Service employees at the University of Illinois-Chicago were prepared to go on strike in support of payrises and to stop the university discouraging workers from joining the union. Local union spokesperson, Adam Rosen said the strike would have been ready to go ahead. “It went to the last minute,” Mr Rosen said. “We were prepared to go [on strike] all week.” He said the workers preparing to go on strike included staff from the clerical, service and technical departments of the university. He said the university had not agreed to the union’s proposal of an 8.25 per cent pay increase over a three-year period, but he said a compromise had been reached. “It’s better than the zero that they were offering,” he said. Mr Rosen said the university would be willing to discuss the union’s complaints of job erosion, but no commitments had been given. He expected the university to come back to the union within the next month, which would be a sign the talks were going in the right direction. 31 August, 2010 AZERBAIJAN Civil service exams in Azerbaijan yielded only 395 suitable candidates for 771 vacancies. Over 4,000 people applied for the jobs, but only 608 reached the testing stage of the selection process. Of the 395 successful applicants, 323 were under 30 years old and only 18 were over 40. INDONESIA The Indonesian city of Surakarta has budgeted Rp 1.05 billion (A$129,000) for Public Service Lebaran bonuses. Chief of the Surakarta National Civil Service Board, Etty Retnowati said individual bonuses range from Rp 100,000 to Rp 200,000 (A$12 – A$24), depending on the level of the Public Servant. A report from the Indonesian National Civil Service Agency showed that low-grade civil servants earned around Rp 700,000 (A$86) per month. Lebaran is the festival to mark the end of Ramadan, the Islamic holy month of fasting. SOUTH KOREA Bloggers in South Korea have condemned the Government’s decision to replace the Public Service Exams with open recruitment. The South Korean Government said open recruitment would promote greater diversity and flexibility in the Public Service, but some bloggers said education and family background would give some applicants an edge. Concerns were expressed that the change would mean only those who went to prestigious law schools or were top university graduates would be recruited. The previous system was merit-based and accepted as giving equal opportunity to all applicants. BRUNEI Public Servants in Brunei have been told that fasting could help cure illness. The talk, presented as a special Ramadan event, was delivered by a lecturer from the Islamic Dakwah Centre, Awang Haji Anwari bin Haji Rawee, who urged doctors to offer fasting as an alternative treatment for curing illnesses such as indigestion, obesity, heart disease, diabetes and high blood pressure. Mr Anwari said Islam recommends Muslims fast not only during the holy month of Ramadan but at other times as well, as a means of physical and spiritual cleansing. Islam is the official religion of Brunei. IRAQ Eight Iraqi militants waiting for Public Service jobs have been killed by men thought to be linked to al-Qaeda, Iraqi police have said. News service, al Jazeera reported that the Iraqi Government had promised civil service jobs to the militants after accepting responsibility for them in 2009, but over 50,000 of the fighters were still waiting for work. Professor of International Relations at the London School of Economics, Fawaz Gerges said the increased violence could be due to political instability in the country. 24 August, 2010 SOUTH AFRICA PS strike leads to deaths Three babies and at least four other people have died in South African State Hospitals due to hospital workers joining the nationwide Public Service strike. According to a spokesman for the Department of Health, Mpho Gabane, nurses, hospital support staff and teachers had gone on strike to demand an 8.6 per cent pay rise. Mr Gabane told the Associated Press that one newborn baby died after his mother suffered complications during labour and was turned away from a rural clinic which was shut down by the strike. "We say outright this is related to the strike because had she been attended to earlier the child could have been saved," Mr Gabane said. Other reports were received of two other babies dying because they were left without food for an entire day during the strike. Mr Gabane said doctors in South Africa were not allowed to strike as they were classified essential workers, so they were forced to clean and feed patients as well as attend to their normal duties. One nurse who refused to strike dressed as a doctor to get past the picket lines but at one hospital, nurses tore down the gate and prevented patients and non-striking colleagues from entering. According to Mr Gabane, strikers broke into another hospital and dragged non-striking nurses out of the wards, some breaking into an operating theatre mid-operation to pull the nurse out. The strike provoked violence when striking teachers attempted to march on a highway and blocked traffic. Police used water cannon and rubber bullets to disperse the protesters and clear the highway with the Teachers’ Union declaring that six teachers had been wounded. Medical staff from the South African Army were deployed to several Johannesburg hospitals to fill the gaps left by the striking workers but they were accompanied by soldiers in case of more violence. As well as the 8.6 per cent pay rise, the striking unions are demanding a R1,000 (A$153) housing allowance. The Government has offered seven per cent and a R700 (A$108) allowance, which the unions rejected. The demands arose after South Africa’s high unemployment rate was further strained by the loss of 900,000 jobs during the global recession. 24 August, 2010 UNITED KINGDOM Defence review targets civilian staff The United Kingdom’s Ministry of Defence is to undergo a jobs review. Secretary for Defence, Dr Liam Fox announced the plan saying a Defence Reform Unit would be set up to look at the number of Public Servants attached to the Ministry of Defence. Dr Fox did not say how many staff might lose their jobs following the review, but before he entered Government, he estimated the Ministry could survive with 25 per cent fewer civilian staff. Dr Fox also said the Defence Forces would be decentralised, giving more decision-making powers to the Heads of Military Service. Former Head of the Royal Navy, Sir Henry Leach said decentralising decision-making would be very welcome. “Ministers come and Ministers go,” Sir Henry said. “The heads of the services are the professionals.” Sir Henry said some jobs in the Ministry would have built up because of bureaucracy and were unnecessary, but other jobs were there for a reason and shouldn’t be cut. Another former Navy Head was Sir Julian Oswald, who said there were too many ‘pen pushers’ in the Ministry. “There is an awful lot of bureaucracy in the MoD, but it's not as bureaucratic as, say, the health department which I did some work for,” Sir Julian said. “There is some over staffing but it sounds like the reduction of civil servants will be quite severe.” 24 August, 2010 NIGERIA Staff late for work locked out Tardy Public Servants in Nigeria were locked out of their Offices last week as a lesson to arrive at work on time. Head of the Civil Service, Stephen Oronsaye said the decision to lock out his own staff alst Thursday, 19 August, was to reinforce the message that habitual slackness would not be tolerated. Mr Oronsaye said that at exactly 10am, the entrance gate to the offices was locked, stranding scores of Public Servants outside the building. A roll call of attendance was then ordered with the locked-out staff left to ponder their punishment. Three hours later, the gates were finally opened so they could enter the building and start working. Mr Oronsaye said the Government had never changed its opening hours policy of 8am to 4pm, even though many Public Servants had fallen into the habit of arriving late and leaving early. He said his office would no longer accept such tardiness, which had affected productivity in the past. The lock-out is the latest in a series of crackdowns on lazy, dishonest and idle staff in Nigeria. The move comes after Mr Oronsaye enforced the requirement for high-ranking civil servants to re-sit a competency test in order to receive their promotions. Despite a pass mark of 40 per cent and a week’s leave to study, over 10 per cent of those who re-took the test failed. 24 August, 2010 SOUTH AFRICA Christmas parties to be banned The South African Government is considering bans on PS Christmas parties and other ‘frills’ under a new Budget. Cabinet spokesman, Themba Maseko said the Ministerial committee dealing with the Budget was finalising spending guidelines for the next financial year and would advise government departments on how they could trim the fat. He said the Cabinet was using a proven cost-saving model to develop new Regulations. The model had been used successfully in KwaZulu-Natal, a province in the east of South Africa. As well as banning Christmas parties, the model involves doing away with team-building excursions, new office furniture purchases and out-sourcing meeting venues. It also involves cutting overseas travel, curtailing business-class travel and cancelling performance bonuses. "What we are proposing is that all Government Departments in all spheres must actually consider this as a possible model to look at as a way of cutting costs," Mr Maseko said. Treasury figures for 2008 show that the Government spent R97 billion (A$14.9 billion) on travel and procurement that year, including spending on hotels, new cars, conferences, parties and team-building exercises. An investigation of the supply chain has also been ordered in an attempt to fight corruption, mismanagement and maladministration at all levels of Government and the Public Service. The investigation is to focus on the recovery of funds, as well as ensuring any irregular expenses were properly accounted for, especially regarding the 2010 FIFA World Cup Project and other cultural programs. The South African Police Force is also to come under scrutiny in the investigation. 24 August, 2010 UNITED KINGDOM Councils spend up on websites Local Councils in the United Kingdom have spent millions redesigning their websites despite the need to cut costs across Government. Documents obtained from Freedom of Information requests showed there were 285 redesigns by 122 Councils in the past 10 years. One Council changed the look of its website eight times in that period. According to reports, the mean average of the web design costs was £100,000 (A$175,000) each but some Councils spent far more. The most expensive was for Birmingham City Council which spent £2.8 million (A$4.9 million) during 2009. The second most expensive was Essex County Council which spent £800,000 (A$1.4 million) on its website. A spokesman for Medway Council said their website needed to be upgraded to meet the public’s requirements, as its last redesign was in 2003. “Major developments in internet technology in the past seven years mean the website no longer fully meets the needs and expectations of our customers,” the spokesman said. Outsourced services company, Civica has suggested that by improving the websites, councils could save up to £5 (A$8.75) per transaction. Managing Director of Civica, David Roots said that improved online services would deliver better local community services as well as save councils money. “Personalising local services over the web is a logical extension of that strategy which will help make optimum use of their existing IT investments,” Mr Roots said. 24 August, 2010 THAILAND MPs share in PS payrise A payrise deal for lawmakers was slipped into a plan by the Thai Government to increase civil servant salaries by five per cent. As well as the Public Service pay rise, Senators and Members of Parliament are to receive a 15 per cent pay rise. A source at Cabinet said a royal decree had arranged for the PS pay rise, but that the Senators’ and MP’s rises had not been publicised. The Deputy Prime Minister said the pay rise was required to encourage the officials to perform their duties more efficiently amidst the pressures of inflation and the change in the value of the Thai currency. He said the lawmakers’ special monthly allowances of 42,330 baht (A$1,512) would not be increased, only their pay. A spokesman for the Government said the officials’ pay rise was in compliance with a proposal by the Office of the Civil Service Commission. He said the salary increase would make the Public Service more competitive with private enterprises when hiring staff. The pay rise was due to start from 1 April 2011, with 13 billion baht (A$464 million) allocated from the 2011 budget to cover it. 24 August, 2010 INDIA Senior staff consider leaving A recent survey by the Ministry of Personnel in India has shown that a third of senior civil servants had considered resigning during their careers. Reasons cited included better external opportunities, disappointment over lack of recognition and political interference or harassment. Police and tax collectors were those most subjected to interference, as many reported that false corruption claims were made against them in order to sully their reputations during investigations. The survey found that women were especially dissatisfied with their jobs in the Public Service, as they felt they were denied sensitive and challenging posts. “Some women stated there definitely is a ‘glass ceiling’ and they are denied good postings,” the survey results read. “Women are not given postings in Departments that deal with infrastructure or power.” Suggestions for improvement arising from the survey include performance-based postings, an independent committee for transfers and postings, better job stability and proper human resource planning. Those Public Servants posted to the Northeast of India said they wanted better incentives, such as tax exemptions, annual leave to visit their home towns and allowances for housing in their home towns as well as their postings. The survey comprised of 43 questions and was conducted by the Centre for Good Governance in Hyderabad. 24 August, 2010 JAPAN Scholarships to beat vet shortage The Japanese Government has issued scholarships for veterinary students in an effort to draw more vets into the Public Service. Despite a 20 per cent overall increase in the number of vets over the past 10 years, Public Service veterinary staff had decreased by 4 per cent. A spokesperson from the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries said only 15 per cent of newly qualified vets entered the Public Service, as private clinics offered better pay and benefits. To make the Public Service more attractive, some local Governments had raised the maximum age restrictions from 29 to 39 years old. One local Government also started to pay its vets an extra monthly stipend of ¥16,500 (A$217) to encourage vets to move into the Public Service. Another local Government introduced a scholarship of ¥100,000 (A$1,300) per month for veterinary students who agreed to join the Public Service after graduation. An official from the Department of Agriculture said vets played a huge role in the prevention of foot-and-mouth disease and bird flu. Known as livestock health officials, vets in the Public Service have performed pathological examinations and instructed farmers on hygiene. The vets worked out of public health centres and meat processing plants, and were sent to farms to give instructions and sterilise animals in response to threats of infection, such as foot-and-mouth. “We realize what a tough time local governments are having finding new vets, but we hope they will do their best,” the official said. Foot-and-mouth infections caused the cull of many of Japan’s prized Wagyu beef cattle earlier this year, threatening Japan’s beef export industry. 24 August, 2010 UNITED STATES High school goes healthy A public high school in the United States has created a vegetable farm to service their local community and teach students about healthy eating habits. Under the leadership of principal Ben Shuldiner, about 150 students built the farm during the past spring (February to April). “The goal was to create a focal point for learning about healthier eating,” Mr Shuldiner said. “Sadly, access to fruits and vegetables is very limited in this neighborhood.” The farm grows tomatoes, cucumbers, lettuce, capsicum and corn and sells the produce to the community every Wednesday, raising around $400 (A$450) for the school’s PTA each week. The 930 square-metres farm yields around 220kg of vegetables each week. A 15 year old student at the high school, Daysha Parker said it was amazing how well the vegetables grew, and that the children ate them all day while they worked. “We work hard on the farm,” Ms Parker said. “But it's all worth it knowing the community is getting a healthier alternative to processed food.” During the summer holidays, students from other local schools came to work on the farm as part of a city-funded program. On the last day of the program, the public was invited to taste the produce and see student presentations on nutrition and food production. 24 August, 2010 UNITED KINGDOM The United Kingdom’s exam organisation, Ofqual has suggested paper exams could be phased out and all future exams could be taken on computers. Chief Executive of Ofqual, Isabel Nisbet said students don’t learn only by writing with pen and paper any more, so they shouldn’t be tested that way. “We need to make sure [the way pupils are tested] isn't overtaken by the modern world and doesn't become a relic of the early 20th century,” Ms Nisbet said. CANADA The Canadian Public Service payroll system is to be moved from Ottawa to Miramichi, a city on the east coast of Canada. Nearly 600 Federal Government jobs are to go with the move which was decided to modernise the current, labour-intensive information technology systems and save more time and money for the Canadian Government. The move is designed to replace jobs lost in Miramichi by the closure of the long-gun registry headquartered there. The Government expects it will cost $298 million (A$320 million) to set up the new system, but the investment would be recouped by 2020. MALAYSIA Public Servants in the Malaysian State of Penang are to receive a Hari Raya gift of RM400 (A$143) as a symbol of the Government’s appreciation of their hard work. Also known as Idul Fitri and Hari Raya Puasa, Hari Raya is a religious festival to mark the end of Ramadan, the holy month of fasting. Traditionally, only children and the elderly are given cash gifts on Hari Raya, but this year, Public Servants in Penang will also receive a financial reward. PHILIPPINES The 110th Civil Service Anniversary in the Philippines is to be celebrated with a nationwide simultaneous flag raising ceremony on 6 September. The theme of this year’s celebration was "In a R.A.C.E to Serve: Advancing Responsive, Accessible, Courteous, and Effective Public Service". The celebrations will run until 17 September and include a physical fitness activity, exhibits from Government Agencies, a Government forum and an awards ceremony. HONG KONG The Department of Social Welfare in Hong Kong has issued a one-off grant of HK$1,000 (A$145) to students on welfare benefits. The grant was available for students from kindergarten to secondary education and was to be spent on school-related expenses. A HK$1300 (A$188) subsidy for internet access was also issued on a household basis so children could meet their e-learning commitments. 17 August, 2010 NEW ZEALAND PS job cuts on the way Public Servants in New Zealand have been warned that more job cuts were on the way. Minister for Finance, Bill English said the Government would need to tighten its belt until the surplus was more than two per cent of gross domestic product (GDP). In a speech to the Australia-New Zealand School of Government in Melbourne, he said he expected that could take many years. “It’s not an option for the Public Service to wait out these challenges,” Mr English said. “Even when we get back to surplus, there will be strong competing demands on Government spending.” The Minister said the Government would concentrate its funds on generating income, which would see more jobs being lost, not created. He said New Zealand’s global debt would be almost NZ$250 billion (A$198 billion) by 2014 and this would need to be reined in and the Government would need to start paying its other commitments as well. “High Government debt will need to be repaid,” he said, “and, when surpluses permit, we will resume contributions to the New Zealand Super Fund.” Mr English said the Public Service would need to exercise restraint for years to come while the deficit was brought under control. He said responsibility for resource management would be given to public sector Chief Executives. “We are laying the foundations for a Public Service that chooses innovation and change,” he said. 17 August, 2010 CANADA Minority job quotas unpopular Most Canadians are against minority quotas in the Public Service, according to a survey by a marketing company. The company, a polling and market research firm, found 59 per cent of those surveyed said a person’s race, gender or ethnic background shouldn’t provide a shortcut to a Public Service job and that only the ‘absolute best candidate’ should be hired. Only 20 per cent of those surveyed said targetted hiring was acceptable as long as the candidate met requirements. Vice-president of the survey company, David Scholz said the way he read the results was that 75 per cent of Canadians thought the best person should be hired, regardless of any targetting issues. The poll was taken after a Government review into its affirmative action policies. The review was sparked when a woman was told she was ineligible for a Federal Government position because she was white, middle-aged and middle class and the Canadian Government sometimes considered people from ‘equity groups’ first when hiring its Public Servants. These ‘equity groups’ were women, visible minorities, Aboriginal Canadians and those with disabilities. In comparison to the general population, women and Aboriginal Canadians were over-represented in the Public Service by around 10 per cent, while visible minorities were under-represented by around 60 percent. 17 August, 2010 UNITED KINGDOM Justice Department facing cuts Staff at the United Kingdom’s Ministry of Justice have been warned that budget cuts would result in job losses. Director-General of Finance at the Ministry of Justice, Ann Beasley told senior civil servants that the Treasury expected the Department to cut £2 billion (A$3.5 billion) off its £9 billion (A$15.7 billion) annual budget. Ms Beasley said most of the savings would have to be made within a year or two and it would involve job cuts. “Over £4 billion [A$7 billion] of the Department’s current budget is spent on staff costs,” Ms Beasley said. “We cannot streamline the organisation to work effectively and efficiently without considering staff numbers.” A spokesman for the Public and Commercial Services Union said more than £4 billion (A$7 billion) was used to pay for legal aid and the running costs of prisons which meant cuts could not be made from those areas without closing prisons or bringing Courts to a standstill. He said the union feared that almost 15,000 staff at the Ministry of Justice would lose their jobs. Ms Beasley said the cuts could not be made simply by becoming more efficient. Staff would have to work differently and better. “It will also mean there will have to be less of us,” she said. Ms Beasley said as well as staff cuts, she expected to have to trim around one-third of the Department’s administrative costs, saving around £450 million (A$785 million). “This is in line with the one-third savings required by the Government,” she said. Ms Beasley said the final details of the budget cuts would be announced on 20 October. 17 August, 2010 SOUTHERN SUDAN New PS to be set up with help The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) is set to arrange for 200 Public Servants from neighbouring countries to help support Southern Sudan’s civil service. The program would see highly qualified or retired Public Servants from Kenya, Uganda and Ethiopia deployed in South Sudan to help deliver essential services. Acting Minister of Telecommunications and Postal Service in Southern Sudan, Madut Biar Yel said the project would allow the Government to quickly identify those in the region who could help out. He said the ultimate goal was to “strengthen governance infrastructure in order for it to deliver essential public service, community security and rule of law.” UNDP officials have said the neighbouring civil servants would offer a wealth of experience and provide Southern Sudan with an invaluable opportunity for mentoring and coaching. Under the arrangement, UNDP would cover the cost of the foreign staff’s salaries and administration so the Government of Southern Sudan could concentrate on covering capacity gaps and other areas of need. Southern Sudan had five months left to decide whether to join in a united Sudan or establish its own independent country. The Public Service Ministry discovered that if it was to declare independence, most of the Public Servants in Southern Sudan were either unclassified or inexperienced, prompting the approach for aid from UNDP. Similar projects have helped strengthen the civil services of other African nations in the past, including Botswana and Kenya. 17 August, 2010 NEW ZEALAND New contract cuts mobile bills The New Zealand Government is set to trim its Public Service mobile phone bill by up to NZ$5 million (A$4 million). The Department of Internal Affairs has renegotiated Government-wide contracts with Telecom and Vodafone. Agencies are expected to save around 11.5 per cent under the new Telecom contract and about 20 per cent under the new Vodafone contract, equal to savings of between NZ$2 million (A$1.6 million) and NZ$5 million. Head of Internal Affairs’ Government Technology Services unit, Stephen Crombie said despite increasing mobile usage, agencies’ bills will still be lower under the new contracts. “Government will be looking for increasing value for mobile services because voice is moving to mobile,” Mr Crombie said. “We’ll be looking for savings and better value.” Vodafone’s contract reduced handset pricing and the cost of BlackBerry connections. The Telecom contract introduced a new BlackBerry plan that would save NZ$180 (A$140) per unit connected and includes ‘very aggressive’ pricing for low-to-medium data usage. Chief Operating Officer at a mobile phone consultancy firm, Jamie McDonald said smartphones were becoming vital for productivity and mobile users were using them more. “They’re more a laptop in the palm of your hand and the average smartphone has more capability than a laptop that is three to five years old,” Mr McDonald said. Mr Crombie said the Government will re-tender for Government-wide mobile services again next year. 17 August, 2010 SOUTH KOREA New recruitment policy drops exams The South Korean Government plans to scrap the civil service exam to promote greater diversity in the Public Service. Minister of Public Administration and Security, Maeng Hyung-kyu announced that the Government intended hiring people based on their credentials and an interview process, instead of their results from the civil service exam. Mr Maeng said competition for senior positions had gone down in recent years, as they were filled mainly by those who had taken the civil service exam, instead of specialists. “We would also like to expand the hiring of regional specialist for diplomatic posts,” the Minister said, “such as those who are fluent in foreign languages like Arabic and appropriately correspond to various diplomatic needs.” He said up to one third of fifth grade Public Servants would be selected based on their credentials. He said by 2015 the Government would like to increase this to half of those hired. “We hope if public servant hiring becomes diverse in this way, the civil structure will become flexible and diverse people nationwide will be put to use,” he said. Mr Maeng said those with special certificates, qualifications, degrees or relevant experience in a specialised field would be able to apply for the fifth grade positions. He said incentives would be given to those who had done volunteer work, special research, published books or patents. He said the Government planned to focus more on applicants’ practical abilities and would hire more lower-grade civil servants based on university recommendations. A teacher at Keimyung University, Professor Choi Bong-ki said the exam system should be abolished and the change would be beneficial. “Once civil servants pass the exam, they can stay still, do nothing and still live a life of authority,” Professor Choi said. 17 August, 2010 UNITED STATES Urgent funding to save teachers United States lawmakers have been summoned back from their summer holidays to pass a Bill that would protect the jobs of 300,000 teachers and State civil servants. The legislation would provide US$10 billion (A$11.2 billion) to school districts and US$16 billion (A$17.9 billion) to the States. The money for the schools was to be used to ensure teachers weren’t sacked before the school year started and to rehire those who had already been sacked, keeping around 160,000 in work. The State money was to pay for Medicaid in order to free up money so the States could afford to keep its police officers and other Public Servants. The Government is expected to pay for the Bill by removing the economic stimulus increase to food stamp payments and closing a tax loophole. By returning the welfare payments to pre-stimulus rates, the Government would save almost US$12 billion (A$13.4 billion). Several politicians have said they would try to find another way to pay for the Bill, rather than reduce the welfare payments. The lawmakers also passed a $600 million Bill to increase surveillance and security along the US-Mexico border, creating jobs for 1,500 more border enforcement agents. 17 August, 2010 ANGOLA Health campaign to combat polio Around 5.6 million children have been immunised against polio in Angola during a national campaign by the Government to protect them from the virus. The Angolan Ministry of Health reported 19 separate cases of wild poliovirus this year and said the virus had spread to the Congo and there was concern it could spread even further. Angolan representative for the United Nations’ Children’s Fund (UNICEF), Dr Koenraad Vanormelingen said polio spreads through non-immunised children from village to village and country to country. “Low rates of routine immunisation and lack of adequate water and sanitation facilities across Angola and Africa make children particularly vulnerable to polio and other infectious diseases,” Dr Vanormelingen said. Representative of the World Health Organisation (WHO), Dr Rui Gama Vaz said the Government’s campaign was a great opportunity to rid Angola of polio. “As we have seen across the globe, we need to ensure that vaccinators reach every child both during campaigns and through strong routine immunisation,” Dr Vaz said. The Angolan Government committed US$9.3 million (A$10.4 million) to the three-day campaign. During the campaign, tens of thousands of volunteers, health workers, parents, social activists and soldiers travelled house-to-house to hand deliver the vaccine to every child under five years old. A UNICEF report showed that around a quarter of all polio cases in Africa this year were from Angola and over 1,500 children were paralysed by polio in 2009. The Angolan Government has planned a second polio immunisation campaign in September to reach any children who missed out on this month’s immunisation. 17 August, 2010 NIGERIA Hiring freeze lifted A seven-year hiring freeze has ended in the Ondo State Public Service in Nigeria with 400 new people hired and two senior civil servants awarded for excellence. At an induction ceremony for the new recruits, the Governor of Ondo, Olusegun Mimiko, promised to help enhance the careers of Public Servants but urged the new staff to think of what they could offer their State, not what the State could do for them. “We are recognising officers for diligence, hard work and loyalty,” Mr Mimiko said. He said lazy, dishonest or idle staff would not be tolerated, but that hard working civil servants would be rewarded. “We shall continue to encourage the participation of our career public officers in all national or international competitions in order to bring out the best in them,” he said. He said a Public Service Training Institute was being built to help do this and it would offer management courses to Public Servants throughout the country. Mr Mimiko said advanced management development training was already available for senior officers, but that he would restructure the Public Service to allow for training staff at a State level. During the induction ceremony, Mr Mimiko gave two senior Public Servants national awards and N500,000 (A$3,730) each in recognition for their hard work. 17 August, 2010 NIGERIA Nigerian Public Servants working in Geneva, Switzerland have had their electricity cut off because they have not been paid in eight months. Nigerian ex-patriots have expressed concern for the welfare of the families of the Public Servants, with one man calling the situation ‘an embarrassment’ to the country, given the living expenses in Switzerland. The Nigerian Government was making efforts to send money to Geneva for those staff, but it was uncertain if they would receive their full back-pay. CANADA Despite the largest budget deficit in Canada’s history, Leader of the House, John Baird assured Public Servants they would not be subject to ‘massive cuts’. “If we can just contain the growth of spending within Government, that will be the centrepiece of our plans to balance the budget,” Mr Baird said. He said the Government would increase spending in some areas, including Defence, airport security and law and order, but spending in other areas would stay the same. UNITED KINGDOM The United Kingdom’s Education Secretary, Michael Gove is to ban 30 commonly used phrases from his Department, saying they “reeked” of the previous Government. Mr Gove said using the term ‘Every Child Matters’ could be a problem because it is the name of a continuing Government policy. Among the changes, the Minister said the phrase ‘England will be the best place in the world for children to grow up’ would be replaced with ‘Make Britain the most family-friendly place in Europe’ and instead of saying ‘targets and outcome’, Public Servants would now be required to say ‘results and impact’. IRELAND A ‘Cycle to Work’ scheme is to become easier to access for teachers in Ireland. The Minister for Education and Skills, Mary Coughlan revised the scheme to allow greater flexibility and a longer application period, based on feedback received during the 2009-10 financial year. The scheme allowed teachers and school staff to salary sacrifice a new bicycle and/or bike safety equipment to the value of €1,000 (A$1,430). FRANCE France has abandoned height requirements for police and prison officers. Until now police and prison officers needed to be at least 1.6 metres tall and prison guards had to have “a body mass index compatible with their designated duties”. The French Civil Service Ministry decreed that police work did not justify height as a selection criteria and the conditions for hiring police and prison officers would relate to their duties instead. 10 August, 2010 NEW ZEALAND Policy review to focus on cost The New Zealand Public Service Association (PSA) is concerned that public service policy advice could be less independent after a review of its cost. According to the Review of Expenditure on Policy Advice, the probe aims to ensure a combination of high professional standards, cost effectiveness and strong alignment with government policy priorities. National Secretary of the PSA, Brenda Pilott said the review should also be considering the importance of the independent nature of policy advice, as that was the role of the Public Service and fundamental to the New Zealand system of Government “Public Servants, especially those working in policy, are tasked with providing the Government with free, frank and fearless advice,” Ms Pilott said. She said lawmakers are bombarded with views and opinions from across the full political spectrum. Ms Pilott said policymakers had to navigate through those opinions to provide elected officials with much needed independent advice. She said the Government claimed policy advice expenses increased by $370 million between 2003 and 2009 across Ministries, Departments and Agencies, but questions the methods used to determine the expenses. “If the government was really interested in spending less on advice it could have had this review carried out in-house or by academics,” she said. Ms Pilott said good quality policy advice had the potential to be more cost-effective by avoiding expensive mistakes and unintended consequences. She said the New Zealand Public Service was one of the best in the world, due partly to the high quality of policy advice. “That is not to be thrown away lightly,” Ms Pilott said. “Spending less will not necessarily bring better value for money.” 10 August, 2010 AFGHANISTAN PS targetted by Taliban Civil servants in Afghanistan are now being targeted by the Taliban. The Taliban has issued a new Code of Conduct ordering its fighters to protect civilians, except those who support the Afghan Government or the NATO coalition. The Code says civilians who work with foreign troops or the Afghan Government are ‘supporters of the infidels’ and therefore can be killed. A tally by the Associated Press shows an average of three Government officials have been attacked or killed every month so far this year, and it was believed that many more attacks went unreported. A local government chief, Mohammad Rahim Amin said he had received a telephone threat recently and a threat to his family before that. “My family is all the time worrying about me,” Mr Amin said. “Two months ago, we received a threat letter that said: ‘Don’t work with the government, otherwise your family will be destroyed’.” Deputy Director of Afghanistan’s Independent Directorate of Local Governance, Barna Karami said the attacks made it difficult to recruit Afghans for the Public Service and strengthen the nation’s administration, especially at the provincial and district levels where the threat is greatest. “When you have targetted killings, especially the tribal leaders, it creates an environment of fear,” Mr Karami said. “It’s natural that when security deteriorates, targeted killings, kidnappings and assassinations make people fear to participate in government.” He said the Taliban were stepping up their attacks on local officials because Afghan and foreign troops were increasing pressure on the insurgents. 10 August, 2010 UNITED STATES LWOP ordered to save funds Public Servants in California have been ordered to take three days off on unpaid leave each month in an effort to reduce the State’s budget deficit. State Governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger said the State was on the verge of financial meltdown and needed to save money. “Our cash situation leaves me no choice but to once again furlough State workers until the legislature produces a Budget I can sign,” he said in a statement. The “furlough Friday” required State employees to take three Fridays per month off without pay until the State had a new budget and finance officials could certify there was enough cash to meet obligations. Employees in agencies involving public safety, including the California Highway Patrol and Department of Fire and Forestry Protection, and those in revenue generation such as the Franchise Tax Board, were exempt from the compulsory unpaid leave. Mr Schwarzenegger said the cuts were necessary to close a huge projected deficit for the fiscal year that started 1 July. The Governor has refused to raise taxes to narrow the shortfall and described his proposed cuts to spending as “painful” but essential. Market researcher Scott Rasmussen said Public Servants were unable to protest against the order because of ‘pension envy’ and resentment from the public. “Most Americans believe that Federal employees and other Government employees are paid more than comparable private-sector employees,” Mr Rasmussen said. “When we’ve asked about 10 per cent pay cuts for public employees, people have overwhelmingly supported that.” 10 August, 2010 UNITED KINGDOM Budget delays holds up divorces The plans of divorcing couples in the United Kingdom have been held up due to Budget changes to Public Service pensions. While the changes affected projected pension values, they could not be included in divorce settlements until passed by Parliament The Government told public pension scheme administrators not to calculate pension values until the Budget changes were complete. A teacher going through a divorce, Chris Perry said his pension administrator, Capita Hartshead was unable to give him information about his pension. “The man at Capita said he was looking at what my pension was worth on his screen, but he was unable to tell me,” Mr Perry said. “If I had some kind of Court date to satisfy it could have to be postponed at great inconvenience and cost.” The Budget changes did not include a completion date and the Government has said the process could take up to three months. Divorce advisor, Phil O’Connor said thousands could be left in limbo until the changes were finalised. “It is a massive issue, especially when you think of the high divorce rate among the armed forces alone,” Mr O’Connor said. “I have already received letters about it because, in divorce cases, pensions can be the most important asset.” The changes being made are to link public pensions to the consumer price index (CPI) instead of the retail price index (RPI). As the CPI is usually lower than the RPI, this would result in retirement income being cut. Accountants KPMG said this could reduce companies’ pension liabilities by 10 per cent, or about £100 billion (A$174 billion) and pensioners’ retirement incomes could be hit by up to 25 per cent. In divorce cases it would mean the spouse could see their share of any pension also plummet. Mr O’Connor said everyone would experience the impact of the government’s new rules because private pension schemes would probably follow the public sector. 10 August, 2010 SRI LANKA Ministry official tied to a tree A Sri Lankan Government official has been tied to a tree by the Minister of his Department. Deputy Minister for Highways, Mervyn Silva said he was angered at the official’s absence from a meeting and tied him to the tree as punishment. The meeting was to discuss a dengue fever outbreak which had already caused 100 deaths in Sri Lanka this year. Mr Silva said he tied up the official as a warning of the seriousness of not tackling dengue fever. “I did not do it to demean the public services or humiliate him,” Mr Silva said. Secretary of Sri Lanka’s Administrative Services Association, DP Wickremasinghe said the incident was unacceptable and the association thoroughly condemned it. “There are approved procedures to discipline government officials and this is inappropriate,” Mr Wickremasinghe said. “In a time when the President is inviting [Sri Lankans living] abroad to come [home] and join the public sector, this is disheartening and will have a negative effect.” He said the entire Public Service would be disappointed with Mr Silva’s actions. Local commentators said tying people to trees was a punishment traditionally used in Sri Lanka to humiliate people - especially errant children. 10 August, 2010 UNITED KINGDOM Public to share sex offenders’ data Information on child sex offenders could soon be available to the public in an effort to protect children in the United Kingdom. Under the proposed Child Sex Offender Disclosure Scheme, parents, carers and guardians would be able to ask police if people who had access to their children had a record of committing child sexual offences. Police would be allowed to disclose this information if the person in question had been convicted of a sexual offence against children and was thought to pose a risk of causing children serious harm. The scheme has been tested by four trial runs and was believed to have protected more than 60 children so far. Home Secretary, Theresa May said the roll-out of the scheme was an important step forward for child protection in the United Kingdom. She said being able to make the checks would reassure parents and the community and more importantly keep children safer. “Not only will it help parents, carers or guardians ensure that their children are safe, but it also assists the police in managing known sex offenders living in the community more effectively,” Ms May said. Chief Constable Paul West said the introduction of the Child Sex Offender Disclosure Scheme represented a major development in the police force’s ability to safeguard children. “As well as empowering parents, carers or guardians to take active steps to protect their children,” Constable West said, “some of the cases experienced in the pilot force areas have involved concerns raised by extended family members and neighbours.” “Their actions have undoubtedly led to children being protected from potential harm,” he said. 10 August, 2010 NIGERIA Competency tests to improve PS Directorate-level Public Servants are still to be made to re-sit competency tests the Head of the Nigerian Civil Service, Stephen Oronsaye has decided. Mr Oronsaye said complaints about the competency of officers in the civil service had been consistent and accused the PS of shortcomings in service delivery and of low productivity. “While civil servants want Government to address salary increases and other welfare issues, they resist whenever the issues of competency and low productivity are being addressed,” Mr Oronsaye said. After discussions with the Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (ASCSN), he said the test would remain as scheduled. He said the Specialised Mandatory Training Program would help build a Public Service for the nation to be proud of. In response to demands by the ASCSN, Mr Oronsaye said officers taking the re-sit test could take a week’s leave from official duties to prepare. The ASCSN also requested that officers who passed the promotion exams but were not promoted due to lack of vacancies be considered for promotion whenever vacancies became available. Initially, the ASCSN said its members would not take part in the exams because they were unconstitutional, but Mr Oronsaye said the exams were not a requirement for promotion, but a tool for screening candidates. 10 August, 2010 RUSSIA Corruption training unveiled Russian officials in anti-corruption Departments are to receive special training on how to fight new incidents of corruption. The Russian Academy of Civil Service is to hold a 36-hour training program for managers and employees of new anti-corruption Departments in the government. These officials will inspect income declarations as well as ensure that officials adhere to restrictions and inform their supervisors of attempted bribes. The Kremlin insisted that the course participants be given specific skills in inspecting income declarations, but Russia has no one experienced enough to deliver such training. A spokesperson at the Kremlin said the main goal of the course was not to teach civil servants to uncover and punish corruption, but to ensure that officials do not become corrupt themselves. The spokesperson said trainees would only be taught about criminal investigations in the final classes. Deputy Director of the academy’s Higher School of Management, Mikhail Mizulin said officials would learn how to cooperate with the police, because reports of bribery attempts must be passed on to the Interior Ministry for investigation. Mr Mizulin said they would also receive skills in applied psychology, using a method the academy developed for determining corruption-inclined personality types. The academy expects around 500 officials to complete the new course, which would start in September. 10 August, 2010 UNITED STATES Libraries to become job centres Many public libraries in the United States have introduced job-seeking centres as part of their services. State Librarian for California, Stacey Aldrich said assisting job hunters was a natural extension of librarians’ roles as information navigators. “Libraries are about helping people find the resources they need to be successful,” Ms Aldrich said. “Workforce development at libraries has been accelerating over the last two years and has skyrocketed this year.” She attributed increased library use to people being less able to afford a computer and internet access at home. Many public libraries now offer classes on résumé writing, job interviewing and preparation for Public Service exams. Ms Aldrich said that in San Francisco, one library opened an entire job centre called Free2Succeed, staffed by a professional career adviser. Another asked its volunteers with human resources backgrounds to offer individual job counselling services. The Fremont public library started an eight week course teaching how to find ‘hidden’ jobs as well as the basics such as resume writing. In many cases, the extra services are being paid for by grants from the State Governments. Deputy Director for Libraries at the Institute of Museum and Library Services, Mary Chute said the Institute joined the Department of Labor to encourage the workforce investment system and the country’s libraries to collaborate to help job seekers. “As the nation has struggled through the recent economic downturn, libraries were inundated with people seeking help with employment-related issues,” Ms Chute said. The Institute has awarded grants to assess libraries’ needs, provide nationwide workforce development training for librarians and develop a job-hunting curriculum that libraries can adapt to their communities. Ms Chute said many displaced workers could create their own jobs by starting a small business, and the libraries could help with that as well. “Lots of times we find that the local library serves as the office for people doing startup business work,” she said. Ms Chute said clients could use library resources to develop business plans, study applicable laws, research competitors, or learn the nuts and bolts of setting up payroll and getting insurance. 10 August, 2010 FIJI Future scholarships from the Fijian Government are to focus on the immediate recruitment needs of the Public Service. Chairman of the Government Scholarship Committee, Parmesh Chand said the Government spent over FJ$25 million (A$14 million) on scholarships each year and the Departments forming the committee would now coordinate scholarship spending to ensure the money was spent more efficiently. UNITED KINGDOM Public sector utility company Scottish Water could be sold off to ease the burden of the United Kingdom’s Public Service funding crisis. Secretary of Finance, John Swinney agreed the company should remain in public hands, but privatising it could save the Government about £140 million (A$243 million) a year in government funding. Head of the public sector division at accountancy firm KPMG, Jenny Stewart said selling Scottish Water would be the easiest option to ease funding burdens. She said this was because the company would continue to operate during the sale and there would be no adverse impact on the public. ANGOLA Public Servants in Angola are to get a 5.4 per cent pay rise under a revised budget. The Council of Ministers revised the 2010 Budget in an effort to distribute the national income more evenly. A core innovation of the revised Budget a fund of 100,000 barrels of Angola’s daily oil production to finance construction of basic infrastructure such as the supply of electricity and water. The new Budget would also allocate funds to improve education, healthcare and rural development. BOTSWANA Teachers in Botswana have labelled their new Public Service Act is unrealistic and accused it of compromising education. Public Secretary of the Botswana Secondary Schools Teachers’ Union, Mogomotsi Motshgwa said if teachers only worked the hours stipulated in the PS Act, there would be no room for extra-curricular activities, tutorials or extra classes. The Directorate of Public Service Management recommended the teachers be patient while the new Act is implemented, as it included factors the Government had never had to deal with in the past. THE GAMBIA The Taiwanese Government has given The Gambia’s Government US$300,000 (A$327,000) for its health sector. The aid is to be spent on improving health service delivery in The Gambia, one of the key priorities for the nation’s President. Head of the Civil Service, Dr Njogu Bah said the President believed that increased health would lead to increased wealth, as its people could only contribute if they were healthy. 3 August, 2010 UNITED KINGDOM PS staff too expensive to pay out Some Public Servants in the United Kingdom are too expensive to pay out under the Government’s current redundancy scheme so were being left ‘in limbo’ without any work to do. UK Minister for the Cabinet Office, Francis Maude said redundancy terms were more generous than they needed to be and the scheme needed to be reformed. “In most departments there are people for whom there is no job,” Mr Maude said. “They are treading water and the reason for that is the current scheme makes it prohibitively expensive to go through the process of making them redundant.” The Minister made his comments to the Public Administration Select Committee in support of Government plans to reform the terms and conditions of employment in Whitehall departments. Unions have warned they could take industrial action if the Government proceeds with the legislation. General Secretary of the ‘Prospect’ union, Paul Noon said Ministers were legislating first before negotiating changes. “It puts a gun to our heads,” he said. “It would have been much better if we had been consulted first.” Mr Noon warned that reducing redundancy payments and other terms and conditions could discourage people from joining the Public Service. He said the new legislation would interfere with Public Servants’ contracts and impose unreasonable changes. Mr Maude said he hoped that the unions would not take legal or industrial action. He said he would seek to protect the lowest paid and hoped to reach an agreement with unions. 3 August, 2010 GREECE PS hit by austerity measures The Greek Prime Minister has raised the retirement age of Public Servants and reduced their benefits. The move has sparked protests by PS staff who say they don’t understand why they have to repay their country’s debt. Prime Minister George Papandreou said while it was understandable that Public Servants were unhappy with the change, it was necessary to comply with the loan package from the International Monetary Fund. “These were very difficult measures,” Mr Papandreou said. “Obviously, that’s why people are unhappy and feel the pain,” he said. “Even though there are demonstrations, we also have a large support.” Mr Papandreou said his citizens understood the reforms were a patriotic duty, required in order to move forward, change their economy, and deal with their debt. Media commentators said the Greek people did not understand that they were partly to blame for the national crisis due to their tax evasion and national spending of more than the country had earned. “Fully half of GDP is public spending,” one commentator said, “yet a third or more of the economy is estimated to be underground, off the books, untaxed, and thus incapable of covering the cost of Government.” Public Servant, Sotiris Panayiotis said Public Servants shouldn’t have to repay the debt the Government had accrued. “Yes, there is a problem with debt,” Mr Panayiotis said, “but it wasn’t ordinary working people that created the debt.” “The Greek government must say, no, we’re not going to pay the debt.” Deputy Prime Minister, Theodoros Pangalos said that not repaying its obligations would be the worst possible option for Greece. “This would mean poverty, real poverty, real unemployment, and marginalisation in the contemporary world for, let’s say, 20 or 50 years,” Mr Pangalos said. “We are in a global market of capital and goods and whoever doesn’t understand that doesn’t live in a contemporary world.” Assistant Professor of Social and Employment Policy at the Athens University of Economics and Business, Manos Matsaganis said the main problem was that too many Greeks were living in the past. “I think we would be better off if we had a less illustrious history, if we were a normal country, you know, of mediocre ancestry,” Professor Matsaganis said. “I think that has ruined us,” he said. “It’s like, you know, young offspring of very rich self-made people, “This is us.” 3 August, 2010 JAPAN Spending cuts across Agencies A 10 per cent spending cut has been imposed on all Japanese Ministries. The Japan Times said the Prime Minister had authorised a 10 per cent cut on all Ministries’ 2010-11 budget requests in order to set aside at least ¥1 trillion (A$12.8 billion) in Government savings to stimulate economic growth. Chief Cabinet Secretary, Yoshito Sengoku said the Cabinet originally wanted to earmark ¥2 trillion, but opposition from the Finance Ministry led to a compromise of ¥1 trillion. Mr Sengoku said the Prime Minister claimed the budget would ‘revitalise’ Japan. He said by approving the budget guideline, the ruling party was demonstrating that it was in charge, not bureaucrats, because the Prime Minister would decide how the stimulus money was distributed. The cuts were included in draft guidelines on how budget requests should be compiled and were intended to ensure that policy-related spending remained capped at ¥71 trillion (A$908 billion), as promised by the Prime Minister. Japan has a 10-year plan to balance spending on Government budgets with stimulus measures to strengthen the ‘fragile’ economy and ratings agencies had warned that Japanese government bonds could be downgraded if the Government failed to disclose in detail how it would fix its budgetary problems. 3 August, 2010 NORTHERN IRELAND Agencies axe jobs to save funds Seven hundred Public Service jobs are due to be axed in Northern Ireland. Days after the Department for the Environment said it planned to ‘remove’ 350 jobs, the Department for Social Development (DSD) announced it also had 350 positions it considered ‘surplus’. A spokesman for the DSD said the Department hoped the posts could be redeployed within the wider Civil Service next year. “Like all other Northern Ireland departments, we are facing a difficult budgetary position,” the spokesman said. The Department of the Environment announced 270 of the jobs it planned to ‘remove’ were from the Planning Service, including specialist staff that could have difficulty finding positions elsewhere. It said the staff cuts would also involve staff in the Driver and Vehicle Authority, Northern Ireland Environment Agency and the local government policy branch. A statement from the DSD - the largest department in Northern Ireland, with more than 7,000 staff - said it expected to manage most of the surplus positions through staff turnover and would try to redeploy staff within the Department before looking to the wider Civil Service. The main Public Service union, NIPSA, has begun talks with the DSD to see whether the staff could be redeployed. Spokesperson for NIPSA, Tony McMullan said they had already met with the Department and planned to meet again after its budget restraints were finalised. “NIPSA is obviously opposed to any job losses,” Mr McMullan said, “but at this point in time I am not in a position to comment because we have not been told the extent of any surplus staff or in which sections they are said to be.” 3 August, 2010 SINGAPORE New breed of PS identified PS staff in Singapore have been told to prepare themselves for surprises and anticipate the future. Deputy Prime Minister, Teo Chee Hean said public servants were traditionally trained to be great problem solvers but would now need to be able to identify and seize opportunities for Singapore as well. “We need people who are curious and bold to explore new ideas,” Mr Teo said. “We require officers who are in touch with what is happening around us, in the capitals of the world, and in the heartlands of Singapore.” He said the Government needed officers and Institutions that were ‘nimble’ and able to adapt to changing circumstances. He said many of the challenges facing the Public Service were global, such as disrupted air traffic after the Icelandic volcano eruption, and the Government needed to deal with these non-local issues. The Deputy Prime Minister was speaking at the Public Service Commission’s Scholarships Presentation Ceremony. A researcher at the Public Service Commission, Nicholas Tan, said Public Servants agreed that the Government needed bold staff. “The best policy might not be one which is popular,” Mr Tan said, “so for that, you have to be bold to push your idea out and get the superiors to vet it.” He said in the end, it would be the public that benefitted most. 3 August, 2010 TRINIDAD PS volunteers to aid Haiti Public Servants from Trinidad are to help redevelop the Haitian public sector after it was left in chaos after the January earthquake. Minister for Trade, Stephen Cadiz said a team made up of PS staff, including volunteers and some who had recently retired, were due to begin in eight weeks. He said the lack of any public service structure had prevented the country from using much of the aid money it had received. “Even with the aid that has gone into Haiti there have been major problems in the Haitian government accessing the aid,” Mr Cadiz said. He said around US$8 billion (A$8.9 billion) in foreign aid had been donated, out of which $2.5 billion was for redeveloping the public sector. The Minister said public servants had not been paid since January, Government revenue had dropped by 80 per cent and many Haitians were still living in tents. Mr Cadiz said 17 per cent of the Haitian Public Service died in the earthquake and only two public sector buildings survived the quake. “So that gives us a very graphic picture of what the Haitian capital is like,” he said. The Minister said the lack of a functioning government in Haiti meant it was difficult to accomplish anything. He said warehouses were filled with goods and food that could not be distributed because of the lack of infrastructure. Mr Cadiz said as part of the post-earthquake aid package, approximately 60 Haitian students would study at the University of the West Indies in Trinidad. He said they planned to study engineering, which would be useful when they return to Haiti. 3 August, 2010 SOUTH KOREA Ethics probe claims official A top South Korean ethics official has resigned and the homes of his subordinates have been raided in a Public Service ethics probe. The Office of Ethics allegedly spied on a man after he posted a video blog criticising the President. The man was charged with criminal libel for his comments in the video, but he has since launched a legal case against the prosecutor’s office, claiming the Government had ruined his life. Media reports say that criminal investigators raided the homes and offices of five Public Servants who allegedly tried to destroy key evidence in the case. Opponents of the President called for an explanation of how much the President knew about the surveillance. In response, the President opened an investigation to find out why the Ethics Office set its sights on a private citizen, as South Korean law forbids that Agency from conducting such surveillance. Prosecutors said they had found evidence of a watch list compiled in 2008 by the Ethics Office that included not only the former Public Servant, Mr Kim, but the wife of one of the President’s opponents in the legislature, fuelling speculation that the office pursued others deemed critical of the President. The Vice-Minister for General Affairs said the Ethics Office considered the private citizen a Public Servant because his firm previously did work for a Government-owned bank. “They thought it was their job to investigate,” the Vice-Minister said. 3 August, 2010 JAMAICA Small firms get PS preference Small and medium enterprises should soon be able to secure more Public Service contracts in Jamaica. The Minister for Finance, Audley Shaw said a review of the Government’s procurement procedures would allow small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to access a larger share of public sector-generated contracts. He said the Government would put in place an enabling policy, with technical and funding assistance from the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) to assist with the process. “This project comes against the background of the SMEs ongoing lobby,” Mr Shaw said. The Minister said the project team, led by an IDB consultant, collaborated with a number of local stakeholder groups. He said the team also examined the findings of research undertaken on the Jamaican SME environment and looked at regional and international best practices in the effective management of government procurement issues. Mr Shaw said as a first step, the project team conducted a survey of medium and small business operators who had actually bid for government contracts. He said the team’s aim was to use their first-hand responses to inform the changes which would be made to the system. “Now in its second week, the survey responses continue to underscore the challenges being experienced by SMEs in their effort to claim a share of the public sector procurement market,” Mr Shaw said. 3 August, 2010 GHANA Performance measures for PS Ministries, Departments and Agencies in Ghana are to be held more accountable through new Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). Minister for Public Sector Reform, Alhassan Azong, said the Government’s Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) had to be held accountable for the standards established in their Client Service Charters. He said it was through such efforts that the Public Service would rise up to the aspirations of the people. Mr Azong said the establishment of a Client Care Unit and development of a charter was now a KPI for public institutions. He said it would allow stakeholders and the public to understand operations of the services and educate them on the roles and responsibilities of the various sector establishments. Mr Azong commended the nation’s judicial service for its responsiveness and pro-activeness in establishing the Client Service Unit. Mr Azong made his comments in a speech read on his behalf at the inauguration of the Judicial Service Client Service Unit at the Supreme Court in Accra. The Supreme Court Judge inaugurating the unit, Justice Julius Ansah, said it was another step in the right direction for the judiciary. He said the concept of establishing the unit dated back to 2007, and was given the task of providing a front line desk and information centre for the users of the Courts. “It is our hope that this unit would assist in enhancing the image of the Judicial Service in Ghana through effective people management, communication and improved service delivery,” Justice Ansah said. Coordinator of the National Alternative Dispute Resolution service, Alex Nartey said the reason for establishing the unit was to ensure the Government delivered efficient and cost effective public services that would improve the living conditions of the poor and vulnerable. He said citizens and other nationals should have easy access to information about public institutions. 3 August, 2010 IRELAND A scheme to decentralise the Irish Public Service had increased its size instead of streamlining it according to figures released by the Irish Government. The figures show it was costing almost €250,000 per Public Servant moved and that fewer than half the 94 decentralisation projects had kept their Departments entirely in Dublin, a third had been split in two, keeping half in the capital and moving the other half to places like Limerick. The projects had expected 11,000 Public Servants to participate in the decentralisation scheme, but after seven years, only 3,100 people had signed up. PHILIPPINES The public has been asked to keep an eye on Public Servants in the Philippines to make sure they were doing their jobs. The Mayor of Baguio City, Mauricio Domogan has warned Public Servants that anyone found not working while on duty would face ‘stiff’ punishment. He asked local residents to point out specific slackers so individuals would be appropriately disciplined. The Mayor has asked the Human Resource Management Office to eliminate ‘ghost’ workers and determine the duties and responsibilities of Public Servants so they can be properly monitored. UNITED KINGDOM The United Kingdom’s Ministry of Defence spent over £10 billion (A$17.3 billion) on Information and Communication Technology (ICT) between 1997 and 2009. Minister for Defence, Andrew Robathan told Parliament this included a service charge of around £473 million (A$820 million) in 2007-08. The revelation came after reports that £6 billion (A$10.4 billion) worth of military equipment had gone missing, leading Government auditors to refuse to approve the Ministry of Defence’s budget for the fourth year in a row. BAHRAIN Four university graduates have camped outside the Civil Service Bureau in Bahrain in a bid to gain employment within the Public Service. The men said they would not move until someone assured them of full-time jobs. President of the Bahrain Youth Society, Mohammed Al Maskati said it is the Bahraini Government’s constitutional duty to provide jobs for its citizens in any field available, but unemployment was still on the rise. ZIMBABWE Results of an audit to prevent system abuse within the Zimbabwean Public Service are to be released soon. The audit, which was conducted by an Indian branch of Ernst & Young, was expected to be finalised by late August. It comes at the request of the International Monetary Fund, which has urged the Zimbabwe Government to clear all ‘ghost’ workers out of the system and prevent the abuse of public funds. |
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