The South African Treasury has taken a new approach in an attempt to rein in the rising cost of Public Service salaries by giving pay increases only to workers on the front-line and in labour-intensive professions.
The Treasury has allocated R111.4 billion ($A9.4 billion) over the next three years to adjust the pay of Public Servants in the Departments and professions that it deems to be critical, such as education, health, police, defence and correctional services.
In previous years, all Public Servants, regardless of which Department they worked in, would be in line to receive a pay rise.
Trade unions and federations are divided on the new approach.
General Manager of the Public Servants’ Association (PSA), Reuben Maleka welcomed the allocation of additional money to front-line professions, but said overall, the measure would harm service delivery.
“These measures will have a negative effect on filling vacancies. Public Servants’ capacity is stretched to the limit and this impacts on their ability to render efficient services to citizens,” Mr Maleka (pictured) said.
Acting National Spokesperson for the Cosatu labour federation, Matthew Parks said he did not accept the Government narrative that the Public Service was over-staffed.
“In 1994, we had one million Public Servants for 34 million South Africans. Today, we have 1.2 million Public Servants, yet the population has nearly doubled to 62 million,” Mr Parks said.
Pretoria, 7 November 2023
Officials
unhappy with US stance on Israel
Officials in the United States Department of State are becoming increasingly restive over what they perceive as a de facto blank check from Washington for Israel to launch a massive military operation in Gaza, with the resulting loss of civilian lives.
That anger became a groundswell of opposition to Secretary of State, Antony Blinken’s handling of negotiations with Israel, putting top officials of the Administration of President Joe Biden on the defensive both abroad and at home.
The surge in internal dissent poses one of the largest challenges to Mr Blinken’s tenure at the Department of State so far, some current and former officials assert.
“In 25 years working at the Department of State … I’ve never seen anything like this,” Aaron David Miller, a former Department expert on Arab-Israeli negotiations, said. “It’s as if the Administration is mediating its own internal Israel-Palestinian conflict.”
Washington,
7 November 2023
UK’s neglected public services ‘crumbling’
United Kingdom public services are crumbling as a result of decades of under-investment, the Institute for Government and the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy have warned.
In a new report, the two bodies put the blame on “successive Governments’ short-term policy-making, under-investment in capital across all public services for more than half a century".
The report reviewed the state of nine public services — general practice, hospitals, adult social care, children’s social care, neighbourhood services, schools, police, criminal courts and prisons.
It found that the under-investment had “a serious impact on the productivity of public services…teachers, nurses, doctors and social workers find it much harder to do their jobs in crumbling and cramped buildings, using old equipment".
London, 5 November 2023
Migrants offered jobs in Irish bureaucracy
A change to Ireland’s immigration rules that allows non-European migrants to work as Public Servants has been announced by Minister for Public Expenditure, Paschal Donohoe.
Mr Donohoe said those who are granted ‘Stamp 4’ permission to remain in Ireland will be able to pursue Public Service roles in Government Departments.
Stamps with different numbering are placed on migrants’ passports when they receive permission to enter and stay in the country. To work or do business and access publicly-funded services while living in Ireland a person must hold a Stamp 4.
The expanded eligibility follows research undertaken by the Public Appointment Service and work carried out by an Interdepartmental working group to increase diversity across the Public Service and better reflect the society it serves.
Dublin, 5 November, 2023
Indian State bans jewellery in exam room
In the latest attempt to crack down on cheating in India’s Public Service examinations, female students appearing for the Karnataka Public Service Commission test were asked to remove all jewellery, including earrings, chains and toe rings.
However, Muslim women were not required to remove their hijabs.
The development came days after some students were caught cheating in an earlier examination, which recruits candidates to fill posts in various boards and corporations.
Officials said students were caught attempting to use tiny Bluetooth communication devices hidden amongst their jewellery.
Bengaluru, 7 November 2023
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Manx workers settle on pay increase
Public Servants on the Isle of Man are to receive a six per cent pay rise covering this year and next following negotiations with the Prospect and Unite unions.
The award will apply to the rates of pay for all Public Service, manual and craft employees and staff from the Department of Education, Sport and Culture except teaching and lecturing staff.
It will apply to new starters, but not those who stopped working with the Government prior to 27 October.
This pay award also applies to Tynwald (Parliament) members.
Douglas, 6 November 2023
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