Public Service News from around the world

PS pensions rise curtailed

DUBLIN (December 27: A provision whereby Irish Public Service retirees get automatic increases in line with pay rises to the person doing their old job could be scrapped. Under a new plan their pension would rise only in line with inflation.

The measure, which would save the Government billions of euros over the next few decades, will be on the table in talks with unions next year.

A statement from the Department of Public Expenditure said as the Government moved beyond the Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest (FEMPI) pay and pension measures, imposed after the Global Financial Crisis, the issue of Public Service pension reductions must be considered.

The link between pensions and inflation already exists for Public Servants hired since 2013 — and the legislation that set it in place also contains a mechanism that would allow a similar link for all other Public Service pensions.

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Reforms aimed at greater growth

ABUJA (December 27): Director-General of the Nigerian Bureau of Public Service Reforms has announced plans aimed at a fundamental shake-up of the country’s Federal Public Service.

 Joe Abah said the reforms, which will be introduced in phases over 10 years, would foster growth in Nigeria’s economy.

“In 2017 we will be focusing very heavily on making it easier to do business in Nigeria with studies to look at the bottlenecks to service delivery to the ordinary Nigerian,” Dr Abah said.

“For instance, the processes for getting a passport, the processes for getting a driver’s licence, the process for getting a tax clearance and the process for seeing a doctor in a Government hospital.”

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Workers consider Trump options

WASHINGTON (December 28): Further evidence is emerging of a significant exodus from the United States Federal Public Service as the new Administration of President-elect Donald Trump begins to emerge.

A study published earlier this month suggests that senior Public Servants leave in droves during the first year of a new Administration — and they are especially likely to quit when the incoming President’s politics are counter to the Agency’s own ideological leanings.

Mr Trump has already nominated a climate change denier to head the Environmental Protection Agency, and he wants to hand control of the Department of Energy to a man who would prefer to abolish it.

On the other hand, the model expects to see stable employment at more conservative branches, including the military. Mr Trump was endorsed by unions representing workers in the Border Patrol and Immigration, Customs and Enforcement Agencies, whose ranks are expected to swell.

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May ‘ignoring Brexit problems’

LONDON (December 28): The head of the union that covers senior United Kingdom Public Servants has slammed Prime Minister, Theresa May for failing to talk openly about the complexity of the process for leaving the European Union [Brexit].

General Secretary of the FDA union, Dave Penman said the Prime Minister’s reluctance to consider the issue could lead to a breaking point in Whitehall as staff struggle with an immense workload on limited resources.

Mr Penman said Ms May appeared to be leading a Government that could not cope with any discussion about problems of implementation, as it was interpreted as criticism.

“When anyone pops their head above the parapet — former Permanent Secretaries, ex-Cabinet Secretaries, the Institute for Government — and says this is going to take a long time and it’s complex, they are immediately shot down and accused of betraying the will of the people,” Mr Penman said.  

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Rule breakers will be sniffed out

HANOI (December 24): Public Servants working for the Hanoi City Council have been told they must not have tattoos or wear “improper” fragrances.

It was not immediately clear how these rules would be policed and there were no definitions of “improper” perfumes or colognes that should be avoided. There was also confusion over whether only visible tattoos were to be prohibited.

The new etiquette code also requires Public Servants to dress well and be polite when communicating with the public, which might appear as basic requirements but somehow still need to be written into rules.

The code stated that it should be viewed more as a guide than a legal document and that the guidelines for expected behaviour will help improve the image of the Public Service.

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“Quarantine leave’ for workers

KUALA LUMPUR (December 24): Malaysian Public Servants are to be granted up to five days unrecorded leave if their children are afflicted with communicable diseases such as dengue haemorrhagic fever or measles and need to be quarantined, the head of the Public Service says.

A directive from Tan Sri Mohamad Zabidi Zainal said workers would also be allowed to stay at home to care for their children if they come down with hand, foot and mouth disease, chicken pox, diphtheria and malaria.

“The parents will be allowed to go on leave for up to five days as long as the child is below 18 years of age; or below 21 if they are still pursuing tertiary education,” Tan Sri Mohamad Zabidi said.

However, the age limit would not apply if the sick child was physically handicapped or mentally challenged.

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Technical delay in festive pay-out

NAIROBI (December 26): Christmas was not so jolly for tens of thousands of Kenyan Public Servants after a technical hitch with the Integrated Financial Management Information System (Ifmis) delayed salaries.

All county [Local Government] workers and thousands of teachers across the country did not receive their December pay following the breakdown of the much-hyped Government financial management system. Ifmis is used in processing all financial transactions at the national and county levels.

Council of Governors Chair, Peter Munya said while National Government staff had been paid, those in counties spent Christmas without money. “We are helpless,” he said.

The country has 230,000 Public Servants, the bulk employed at the county level, with 290,000 teachers on the Government payroll.

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Phoenix still fails to rise

OTTAWA (December 23): Canada’s seemingly endless problems over Public Service pay appear destined to head into the New Year after further glitches were revealed in the troubled Phoenix system.

Phoenix, a new computerised pay system rolled out in February, led to complaints by thousands of Federal Government employees. Some were underpaid, others were overpaid and some were not paid at all. 

The Government confirmed that 82,000 Public Servants were affected in some way between February and the end of June. Since July, Federal unions have said even more workers have come forward with pay problems, but the Government has yet to release that figure, saying it can't be calculated.

After months of requests, the Department in charge of Phoenix revealed that more than 13,000 people have come forward since July 1 to report they were not getting paid or were paid incorrectly because they went on leave or left the Public Service.

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Promotions promised at last

ADO EKITI (December 26): Public Servants in the Nigerian State of Ekiti can look forward to a more prosperous New Year after 15,772 of them were granted promotions by Governor Ayo Fayose.

A statement from the Governor’s office said the promotions involved workers in Local Governments and the teaching service as well as core Public Servants.

It said the beneficiaries consisted mainly of those whose promotions were due since 2012, 2013 and 2014.

However, some of the gilt was taken off the lily as the statement went on to say there would be no money to pay for the promotions until March 2017.

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Pension concessions to end

TAIPEI (December 25): A special 18 per cent preferential pension interest rate for Taiwan’s Public Servants and educators is to be phased out over six years, the Government has announced.

Deputy Convener of the National Pension Reform Committee, Lin Wan-I said the armed forces pension would be handled separately and given its own set of rules.

The phase-out is part of a draft of pension amendments is to be reviewed by the Legislative Yuan [Parliament] before the first session next year.

The 18 per cent preferential interest rate policy was introduced in the 1960s when the average income of teachers, Public Servants and military personnel was lower than that of other professions.

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Gender gap beginning to close

THIMPHU (December 26): A new report has found that the gender gap in the Bhutanese Public Service is closing, albeit slowly.

In 2008 women comprised 29.5 per cent of the total public workforce — in 2015 this had risen to 34.5 per cent.

The annual report of the Royal Civil Service Commission noted that in 1996 the female total had been just 16 per cent.

However, the report states that there was a “clear gender gap” in the executives and specialists groups with women making up just 10 per cent of this part of the workforce.

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PS to have say on reforms

KINGSTON (December 27): The newly created Public Sector Transformation Oversight Committee (PSTOC), charged with overseeing major reforms to the Jamaican Public Service, wants workers to have a say in the process.

In a statement, the committee said all efforts would be made to ensure public sector employees had a sense of ownership of the transformation process.

Co-Chair of PSTOC, trade unionist Danny Roberts, said that there would be a high level of engagement with public sector workers in order to get their suggestions and feedback on helping the exercise achieve its objectives.

“This position was given full support by the members of the committee representing the Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica, the Jamaica Confederation of Trade Unions, the Jamaica Employers Federation, the Government and academia,” Mr Roberts said.

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Digital upgrade for tax office

COLOMBO (December 27): The Sri Lankan Public Service is to get a digital boost in the country’s 2017 Budget, the Government has announced.

Minister for Finance, Ravi Karunanayake said digitalisation would help mid-income level countries such as Sri Lanka to lay a firm foundation to improving efficiency in public service by developing human resources and ensuring transparency in State administration.

“It will also help end old practices of making illegal economic gains in the sector,” Mr Kaunanayake said.

“The Inland Revenue Department will be able to expand its tax administration and tax foundation under this project. At the same time, a separate office will be established to prepare e-files and an e-payment system for tax payers.”

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Anger over reform ‘dumping’

PESHAWAR (December 27): Public Servants working for the Provincial Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in Pakistan have accused the Department of Establishment of dumping the Chief Minister’s orders for the implementation of reforms.

The Peshawar Officers Association has warned it would call a strike if necessary action wasn’t taken on the matter by January 20.

In a letter sent to the Chief Minister, Governor, Chief Secretary and other functionaries the union said the delay in the implementation of the Chief Minister’s directives had caused resentment among all officers “as they had become hopeless and did not see any future of for the Public Service in the Province”.

“It seems either the Government is incapable of implementing its own decisions or Provincial Officers have been tricked,” the union said.

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Good start to PS ‘modernisation’

GEORGE TOWN (December 28): Cayman Islands Premier, Alden McLaughlin says the first year of implementing Public Service reform under the umbrella of Project Future has been a success.

The project has been described as a response to immediate economic pressures on the public purse while laying foundations for future economic prosperity. It aims to modernise the culture and practice, as well as improve the efficiency and effectiveness, of public services.

“We are seeing more and more reports coming through setting out proposals for change. The work undertaken in this first year of implementation demonstrates clearly that this Government is committed to seeing through the ambitious agenda for change that it has established,” Mr McLaughlin said.

He said that at the end of the year there were 53 individual projects being monitored, and 44 were either preparing for or already delivering changes.