UK union wants shorter working week

LONDON (February 24): The United Kingdom Public and Commercial Service Union (PCS) has called for a significant shortening of the working week for Civil Servants with no loss of pay.

Shortened hours, plus other requests such as a cost-of-living pay rise, a higher minimum wage and more annual leave, are among the demands set out in the 2024-25 pay claim PCS has submitted to the Cabinet Office.

It comes after the PCS backed a petition by staff at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs urging Ministers to trial a four-day working week with no reduction in pay.

The union said the approach could help address employee burnout, stress and poor wellbeing, pointing to a reduction in sick leave and improvements to staff retention and satisfaction seen in trials elsewhere.

Ministers have so far been against a reduction in working hours, with the Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities issuing a formal warning to a Cambridgeshire Council over its four-day week trial.

However, the Scottish Government launched its own trial of slightly reduced hours in some Agencies in October.

As well as improved conditions, the PCS has demanded an inflation-proofed pay increase plus pay restoration, and a living wage of £15 ($A29) per hour.

In a letter to Cabinet Office Minister, John Glen, General Secretary of the PCS, Fran Heathcote (pictured) said it should be a matter of shame for a Government employer that many of the union’s members lived in poverty.

She attributed this to the rising cost of living, recent high inflation and years of wage restraint.

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SA Parliament votes to impeach judge

 

PRETORIA (February 24): After a 15-year delay, South Africa’s Parliament has impeached a leading judge, John Hlophe, President of Western Cape Province’s High Court.

 

Justice Hlophe allegedly tried to influence two other justices involved in a 2008 arms-deal corruption case against former President, Jacob Zuma in Mr Zuma’s favour.

 

Only one lawmaker voted against removing Justice Hlophe; 296 Members voted in favour, with 13 abstaining.

 

The long delay was due to lengthy investigations and appeals. President Cyril Ramaphosa must now approve the decision and schedule a date for Justice Hlophe’s removal. He will be the first South African judge to be removed from office since democratic rule began in 1994.

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Bureaucracy braces for Sinn Féin rule

DUBLIN (February 26); A top Irish Civil Servant is likely to take charge of Northern Ireland affairs ahead of a General Election which could see the nationalist Sinn Féin Party claim power in Dublin.

Senior officials have now started planning for the fallout from the election, with Sinn Féin’s Mary Lou McDonald likely to become Taoiseach (Prime Minister) given the party is riding high in the polls.

The media is speculating that the highly-respected Deputy Secretary General, Sonja Hyland is to take over responsibility for Northern Ireland, the United Kingdom, and the United States from September. This is seen as one of the most crucial positions in the Department of Foreign Affairs.

Ms McDonald recently said that she believes a united Ireland is within "touching distance", comments that are certain to produce strong reactions in the United Kingdom and the US, should she head the Government in Dublin.

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Cambodian PM wants more contractors

PHNOM PENH (February 24): Cambodia appears to be going against international trends by recruiting more contractors to do the work currently done by Public Servants.

While many Western countries are reducing the use of contractors after they were found to be overly-expensive, Cambodian Prime Minister, Hun Manet, claimed they could reduce the cost to the national Budget.

“In many countries, the recruitment of Civil Servants has been reduced, while the recruitment of the contract officials surged, notably even within the military forces of the United States,” Dr Hun Manet claimed.

“By implementing this approach, experts can be recruited as contract officials for five years, allowing them to contribute their specialised skills for the benefit of the country.”

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Anwar wants faster pay scheme review

KUALA LUMPUR (February 26): Malaysian Prime Minister, Anwar Ibrahim has made a dramatic intervention in the country’s Civil Service Remuneration Scheme Review, saying the outcome will be made public as soon as possible.

It had previously been reported that the results of the review — the first in a decade — would not be available until the end of the year.

Mr Anwar said the country was looking for a favourable solution to the review “despite the current financial constraints and economic issues that the country is facing”.

Malaysia’s 1.7 million strong public sector has long been a powerful voting block that successive Governments have courted. 

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Top bureaucrat cracks down on media leaks

ABUJA (February 23): The Head of Civil Service of the Nigerian Federation, Folashade Yemi-Esan, has threatened severe sanctions against any Public Servant found to be leaking sensitive documents to the media.

This follows the leaking of a memo from the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume which contained the Government’s plan to provide N500 million ($A1.6 million) in allowances to members of the Federal Government’s Tripartite Committee on the National Minimum Wage.

Ms Yemi-Esan said she was dismayed at this and other recent leakages and called on all Permanent Secretaries to fast-track digitisation to reduce physical contact with official documents.

“Any officer caught engaging in such acts will be severely dealt with in line with the relevant provisions of the Public Service Rules,” she said.

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Korean doctors protest over staff shortages

 

SEOUL ( February 22): More than 1000 South Korean doctors have been on strike to protest against a Ministry of Health plan to address industry staffing shortages.

 

The plan aims to raise the number of medical students accepted each year by 2,000 slots. However, employees in the health care industry argue that increasing admissions does not solve current shortages in low-paid specialties such as emergency medicine, as well as harsh working conditions, and poor wages for interns and residents.

 

More than 6,400 doctors-in-training presented their resignations as part of continuing protests.

 

South Korea’s health care system has some of the best-paid doctors in the world, but it also has one of the lowest doctor-to-patient ratios globally.

 

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Graduates wait decade for promised PS jobs

N’DJAMENA (February 24): Chad’s young people say they have been cheated by the Government which told them that if they graduated from university in certain subjects they would be guaranteed a job in the public sector.

Nan-Arabe Lodoum graduated in biomedical science (one of the approved subjects) in 2014, but is still waiting for his call-up to the Civil Service.

Signs at the Ministry of the Civil Service warn that information is only given out on Tuesdays and Thursdays. "Don't insist", the sign warns. He fears his file is one of hundreds piled up on the floor inside, waiting to be digitalised.

Prime Minister, Succes Masra, who was appointed after returning to Chad from exile, has promised 100,000 jobs for young people, but has not said when or how the positions will be created.

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Government ousted: ‘Business as usual’

CONAKRY (February 22): Guinea’s military leaders say they have dissolved the Government — and will appoint a new one.

No reason was given when the President’s Secretary General announced the measure in a video address, saying daily business would continue as usual.

In a separate address, Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces, Ibrahima Sory Bangoura ordered members of the dissolved Government to return their vehicles and passports. Their bodyguards also had to end their service and the Ministers’ bank accounts were frozen.

The West African nation has been led by a military regime since soldiers ousted President Alpha Conde in 2021. Elections are currently scheduled for 2025.

A regular update of Public Service news and events from around the world

 

 

 

 

Long delayed pay deal for NI workers

Northern Ireland Civil Servants are finally to get a pay offer for 2023-24 following an agreement on Departmental budgets.

Minister for Finance, Caoimhe Archibald said an additional funding package of just over £100 million ($A193 million) had been found for public sector pay as part of the financial deal agreed with the United Kingdom Government after the restoration of Executive Government in the Province.

The funding takes the previously identified figure of £584 million ($A1.1 billion) for public sector pay in 2023-24 to £688 million ($A1.3 billion) However, Ms Archibald (pictured) acknowledged the figure still fell short of what Departments had calculated was needed across the public sector.

“It is regrettable that the Executive was not in a position to fund the full £700 million ($A1.35 billion) of estimated pay costs identified by Departments,” Ms Archibald said.

“However, it has gone as far as possible within the resources available. The allocations agreed go a significant way to address those pressures.”

Last month, thousands of members of the Civil Service joined a one-day strike over public sector pay in Northern Ireland — one of the many casualties of the 2022 collapse of power-sharing between Sinn Féin and the Democratic Unionist Party.

Last year, staff were awarded an across-the-board £552 ($A1,067) pay adjustment for 2022-23. Unions said that figure was worth less than one per cent for most Civil Servants.

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Ethiopia probes workers’ credentials

ADDIS ABABA (February 18): Ethiopia’s Federal Civil Service Commission has announced plans to launch a software application to verify the educational credentials of the African country’s 2.5 million Civil Servants.

Head of the Commission, Mekuriya Haile said he wanted to establish a seamless connection with universities “to address challenges in educational credential verification that have long plagued the Federal Government and regional administrations”.

Mr Mekuriya told Parliament the verification of educational credentials would be conducted by individuals educated in private universities, overseen by the Education and Training Authority, as well as those who graduated from public universities, utilising information provided by the Ministry of Education.

“This is part of a preparation of policies, guidelines, and reform initiatives aimed at delivering effective services to citizens which is nearing its final stages,” Mr Mekuriya said.

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Mexican military to maintain highways  

MEXICO CITY (February 22): In what is seen as yet another example of the military taking a more prominent role in the life of Mexico under the administration of President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, troops will take over the task of maintaining Federal highways.

The President said the Ministry of Infrastructure, Communications and Transport had previously contracted private companies to maintain highways — “but they didn’t do the job well; there were swindles”.

Mr López Obrador said he had informed Minister of Infrastructure, Communications and Transport, Jorge Nuño Lara that military engineers would assume responsibility for the highway maintenance program.

The President has relied heavily on the armed forces since taking office in 2018, using the army and navy for a wide range of tasks including public security, infrastructure construction, and management of customs, ports and airports. Critics have complained this is military government by stealth.

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Budget to reveal Malaysian pay structure

KUALA LUMPUR (February 16): The decision on the improvement of the Malaysian Civil Service salary structure system is expected to be announced during the tabling of the 2025 Budget later this year.

In a statement, the Public Service Department said the proposed improvement would be finalised and presented to the Cabinet for approval at the beginning of the second quarter of this year at the latest.

“Civil Servants can still submit proposals to improve the existing salary system covering all aspects of service through the remuneration review portal before March 1,” the statement said.

“Improving the disposable income of Civil Servants is one of the focuses in enhancing the human capital empowerment of the Civil Service to increase its productivity.”

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French in push for clean Paris Games

PARIS (February 22): French authorities are conducting three preliminary investigations into possible favouritism in the awarding of around 20 Paris Olympic contracts worth tens of millions of euros, while a fourth is scrutinising the pay of Chief Organiser, Tony Estanguet.

Andy Spalding, an academic and author who studies corruption in sporting mega-events such as the Olympics and the football World Cup, said this was an indication the Government was serious about the Paris Games being corruption-free after decades of scandals plaguing major sporting events.

"France is the first country to be under an enforceable contractual obligation to adopt anti-corruption compliance programs. Nobody quite knows what it means yet, but starting with Paris, we will have these contractual obligations each time,” Professor Spalding said.

“You start with a contractual provision. The next step is to provide some guidance on what that means. Then we need operations and some enforcement for breach of contract. When all of those steps are completed, the clause will mean something.”

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Estonian PM on Russian wanted list

MOSCOW (February 15): Russia’s Interior Ministry has put Estonian Prime Minister, Kaja Kallas on its most wanted list for the “desecration of historical memory” — the first time it has brought criminal charges against a foreign leader.  

This follows the removal of around 400 Soviet-era World War II monuments from across the Baltic nation after Ms Kallas argued that Russia wanted to use the memorials to fuel tensions in Estonian society. 

Ms Kallas dismissed the charge as a “familiar scare tactic” and said she would continue to support Ukraine in its war against Russia.

Since coming to office in 2021, she has been a continual advocate for boosting Europe’s defences and strengthening NATO.

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New training programs for Zambian PS

LUSAKA (February 22): Zambia’s National Institute of Public Administration has launched training programs aimed at equipping Civil Servants with skills to deliver competent services to the public.

Speaking at the launch, President Hakainde Hichilema said it was the responsibility of all public workers to ensure excellence in service delivery.

Among the programs to be provided are pre-deployment training and certification for newly recruited public workers, in-service training and certification for serving public workers, and public service leadership and governance training for appointed officials and senior Government officials.

 

A regular update of Public Service news and events from around the world

 

New plan to curb NZ consultancies

WELLINGTON (February 13): New Zealand’s Public Service Commission (PSC) has proposed creating an in-house consultancy hub to ease reliance on external consultants by the bureaucracy.

 The National Party, which came to power late last year as part of a right wing Coalition Government, has set out plans to make public sector cost savings of at least 6.5 per cent.

The PSC said it would welcome the opportunity to discuss a range of possible interventions to meet this target including “an in-house consultancy hub that looks to deploy high-capability resources into major projects that could otherwise rely heavily on external consultants”.

Expenditure on contractors and consultants has risen to just over NZ$900 million ($A846 million) a year to June 2023. This was up from just shy of NZ$600 million ($A564 million) in 2018 and equates to 13.1 per cent of total public workforce spending.

National campaigned on cutting the spending on external contractors and consultants by NZ$400 million ($A376 million) a year.

However, officials in some Departments say reducing reliance on consultants would be particularly challenging in certain areas, such as digital, due to the specialist nature of and high industry demand for digital talent.

New Zealand’s main union for Public Servants, the Public Service Association, says public sector cuts targeting Departments and Agencies would have a long-term negative impact on the country “undermining the ability of the Government to implement evidence-based policies”.

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Denmark to boost defence spending

COPENHAGEN (February 10): Denmark’s Minister of Defence has asked his officials to prepare plans for increased military investments in the face of mounting threats from Russia.

In an interview with the Jyllands-Posten newspaper, Troels Lund Poulsen said new intelligence indicated that Russia was rearming faster than expected and could be ready to attack a NATO country within three-to-five years.

"Russia will seek to test NATO's solidarity. This is new knowledge that is coming to the fore now," Mr Poulsen said.

He said while there was no direct threat against Denmark, the NATO alliance could face hybrid attacks in efforts to destabilise a member country.

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Ministers want more funds for public sector

BELFAST (February 10): Northern Ireland Ministers, back on the job after nearly two years of deadlock, have promised to seek more money from the United Kingdom Treasury to make a “fair and just” public sector pay settlement.

Newly-appointed Finance Minister, Caoimhe Archibald said she wanted pay negotiations to begin as soon as possible during which she would be seeking longer-term funding for wage rises.

Most Civil Service staff in the Province were awarded a flat-rate pay adjustment of just £552 ($A1068) last April, equivalent to an increase of less than one per cent for most officers.

Head of the Civil Service, Jayne Brady estimates £634 million ($A1227 million) is needed to maintain broad parity between Northern Ireland Civil Servants and those in England, Scotland and Wales.

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Bureaucrats fear new Trump Administration

WASHINGTON (February 13): With the near certainty that former United States President, Donald Trump will be the Republican Party’s nominee in the November Federal election, Public Servants are already running scared.

Towards the end of his Administration in 2020, Mr Trump authorised the creation of a new public sector classification, Schedule F, making it easier to hire and fire Federal employees in “policy-related” jobs. The plan was never implemented and cancelled by incoming President, Joe Biden.

However, Mr Trump has repeatedly advocated for the revival of Schedule F, and conservative activists have been working behind the scenes to enable its swift implementation at the start of the next Republican Administration, listing 50,000 current Federal workers who could be threatened with transfer to Schedule F and hence possible removal. 

President of the American Federation of Government Employees, Everett Kelley said every Public Servant should vote for a President that is sensitive to the issues Federal employees face — “and that is President Biden and Vice President [Kamala] Harris”.

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Union concerned over rising sickness

LONDON (February 9): The United Kingdom’s Public and Community Sector Union has urged the Government to pay more attention to rising sickness levels within the Civil Service

General Secretary of the union, Fran Heathcote said figures uncovered by the minority Liberal Democrat Party showed long-term sick leave within the bureaucracy had risen by 33 per cent in four years.

“There have been two large-scale studies into sickness in Whitehall and they have both revealed that the lower the grade of the employee, the higher their sick and death rates,” Ms Heathcote said.

“The studies also found a firm connection between the way work is organised and the subsequent health impacts, effectively saying much sickness absence is caused by work itself because of stress and other factors.”

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UK interest in German Federal system

BERLIN (February 10) Members of the United Kingdom’s Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee have visited Germany to discuss whether elements of that country’s Federal system of Government could be adopted in Britain. 

Committee members held a roundtable discussion with the State Secretaries of a number of Germany’s Federal States, and met the Deputy Director General of the Federal Interior Ministry, as well as academics and representatives from Germany’s primary Civil Servants’ union. 

In a statement, the committee said it was investigating governance of the Civil Service and studying the mechanisms and distribution of power within Germany’s Federal system.

Also present at the discussions were the United Kingdom’s Ambassador to Germany, Jill Gallard and Deputy Ambassador, Kieran Drake.

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Fowl thieves pluck Cuba’s rations

HAVANA (February 11): Cuba’s State food distributor has been robbed of 133 tonnes of chicken meat destined to be rationed out to the nation’s impoverished population.

Police later said the 30 people had been charged with the heist after they sold the meat on the black market and used to proceeds to buy refrigerators, laptops, televisions and air conditioners. If found guilty, they could face 20 years in jail.

Director of the Government food distributor, COPMAR, Rigoberto Mustelier said the quantity stolen was the equivalent of a month’s ration of chicken for a medium-sized Province at current distribution rates.

The amount of chicken available via the rationing system has fallen sharply in recent years as an economic crisis has brought scarcities of food, fuel and medicines.

 

A regular update of Public Service news and events from around the world

Israeli Government ‘stridently anti-women’

JERUSALEM (February 7); A critic of the decision by Israeli Economy Minister, Nir Barkat to dismiss the Director of the Competition Authority, Michal Cohen, says this is just another example of a Government that is stridently anti-women.

Mr Barkat said Ms Cohen (pictured) was not up to the job, taking a “passive, compromising line, clearly unprofessional and disconnected from reality”.

However, this comes after threats by other Ministers to fire Chair of the Postal Authority, Mishael Vaknin despite a consensus in the Public Service that she is capably fulfilling her legal duties.

In a scathing critique of the moves, Director of the Centre for Democratic Values and Institutions at the Israel Democracy Institute, Anat Thon-Ashkenazy said the Competition Authority, like the Postal Authority, was a Government authority.

“It is charged with maintaining the principles of competitiveness in the Israeli economy and is given the independence to act by professional standards,” Ms Thon-Ashkenazy said.

“Dismissal is an extreme measure reserved for the most exceptional cases — no such evidence to make an exceptional case exists.”

She said along with the potential damage to the bureaucracy in general and the Competition Authority in particular, it could not be ignored that this was an attempt to dismiss yet another female director, one of the few women who remained among the senior ranks of the Public Service. 

“Ms Cohen thus joins Michal Rosenbaum, who resigned as Director of the Government Companies Authority, and the sacked Director of the Authority for the Advancement of the Status of Women, Ayelet Razin Beit-Or,” Ms Thon-Ashkenazy said.

“This trend of removing the few women in the senior Public Service is compounded by the fact that the Government, at the beginning of its term, removed all 10 female Directors-General of Government Ministries from their positions without appointing a single woman in their place.

"This is stridently anti-women.

“Although two female Directors were appointed during the past year, the two Ministries they headed have since been closed.”

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Ukraine aid package ‘not for weapons’

KYIV (February 5): The European Union’s €50 billion ($A83 billion) aid package for Ukraine is aimed at shoring up that country’s war-ravaged economy. It is not intended to fund arms and ammunition, which falls under a separate EU plan, officials said. 

Much of the sum will be spent on compensation for teachers, doctors, nurses, Public Servants, and other public-sector employees who keep power and water supplies running.

Ukrainian lawmaker and former diplomat, Bohdan Yeremenko said there was also a need to use some of the funds to support the local currency, the hryvnia, saying it was important for macro-economic stability.

Another lawmaker, Yevheniia Kravchuk told German broadcaster, Deutsche Welle that Kyiv would use some of the aid to provide insurance and stable financing for foreign investments, including plants that produced arms and ammunition.

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Minister makes case for office working

LONDON (February 6): United Kingdom Cabinet Office Minister, Lucy Neville-Rolfe says Civil Service leaders should make a stronger case for office-based working, because younger officials were in need of mentoring.

Speaking in a House of Lords debate on the impact on public services of Civil Servants working from home, Baroness Neville-Rolfe said there were clear benefits from face-to-face, workplace-based collaborative working.

“That is why Departments have issued new guidance that most Civil Servants should spend at least 60 per cent of their working time in the office and our senior Civil Servants have been told they need to set an example as leaders,” Baroness Neville-Rolfe said.

Admitting in answer to a question that some Civil Service offices were already full to overflowing, she said it was “important that we use our property properly in the interests of value for money, while modernising it so that it is a good workplace”.

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Another PS pay rise as inflation soars

DAMASCUS (February 6): Syrian Public Servants and public sector pensioners are to receive a 50 per cent pay rise in an effort to combat rampant inflation after nearly 13 years of civil war.

President Bashar al-Assad announced a similar decision last year, doubling salaries and pension payments, while also lifting fuel subsidies.

The Syrian economy has been battered by the conflict that has killed more than 500,000 people and displaced millions since it began in 2011. More than 90 per cent of Syrians have been pushed into poverty and the value of the Syrian pound has been slashed.

A separate presidential decree set the minimum monthly wage in the private sector at SYP278,190 ($A169).

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At least a handshake please Mr President

ABUJA (February 5): The head of an organisation representing senior Federal Public Servants in Nigeria has called for more recognition and appreciation from the Government for services rendered.

In what is seen as a rebuke to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Chair of the Directors Forum of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Bala Mohammed said at least retiring senior officers should expect a presidential handshake.

Speaking at a Forum ceremony farewelling three retiring Department Heads, Mr Mohammed said it was crucial for the Government to look after the welfare of senior officers, especially those that had reached the peak of their careers.

“Civil Servants are at the pleasure of the President, so when they are leaving without disappointing him and contributing to his success, they deserve at least his handshake,” Mr Mohammed said.

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Pigeon cleared of spying, flies the coop

NEW DELHI (February 3): Police in the Indian city of Mumbai have cleared a pigeon of spying for the Chinese eight months after taking it into custody.

The bird was captured in the port area of Mumbai with two rings tied to its legs that were engraved with Chinese characters. Police suspected it was involved in espionage and ordered its detention at the Bai Sakarbai Dinshaw Petit Hospital for Animals.

However, it eventually turned out that the pigeon was a racing bird from Taiwan that had escaped and made its way to India. Police transferred it to the Bombay Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, whose doctors set it free.

Mumbai Police could not be reached for comment.

 

A regular update of Public Service news and events from around the world

 

 

 

 

 

Risible remedies for Australia’s ‘decline’

Among the messages that land in my inbox every day is a newsletter titled The Conservative which describes itself as a “weekly round-up of news and opinion on the leadership crisis in Australia”.

According to the publication, this crisis extends not just to politics, but to business, education, the Public Service, universities, churches and civil society.

“There is no leadership in our country. Nothing is being fixed. We have reform-free Governments, paralysis in public debate and widespread frustration amongst ordinary people. The country is drifting steadily towards national decline on every front.”

Phew, did I miss something? Yes there was a power outage in my suburb on Sunday. Is that the steady national decline they are talking about?

Apart from maintaining this massive crisis exists, The Conservative has some suggestions on how to fix it – plenty of them. Here are just a few.

No person to be eligible to stand for Parliament unless they have worked for 10 years in a ‘real job’. The Conservative does not outline what ‘a real job’ entails, but definitely excluded are union officials, and workers for a political party.

Then, when MPs jump through these hoops and find themselves settled into a seat at Parliament, they are to be limited to three terms in the Lower House and two in the Senate, signalling that “political representation is not a career” rather “a temporary period of service”.

Public Servants are not exempt from The Conservative’s term limits. They can serve only 10 years in the job, although excluded are teachers, nurses, police officers, cleaners and power generation engineers — “none of these people call themselves Public Servants” (actually most do and are proud to do so).

For the chop would be those who “devise policy and execute, communicate, monitor, evaluate and report it” after 10 years they would be instructed, rather unhelpfully, to “move on” (are you listening APS?)

One wonders how Ministers with no more than a few years of experience in Parliament, supported by Public Servants who are on their way out almost before they have learnt what they are doing, are going the fare on the national and international stage.

Imagine how this collection of tyros will handle complex Budget negotiations or hold their own at the United Nations against the likes of Putin and Xi?

There’s a lot more about banning Royal Commissions and capping public sector pay, but I am sure you have heard enough. I certainly had. 

I suppose the advent of Donald Trump and his particular brand of politics and political discourse has brought these people out of the woodwork, but they shouldn’t be laughed off.

Those behind this publication will presumably be working away to promote their crackpot ideas at the next Federal election.

As we should know by now, crackpots sometimes get up, especially in the Australian system where, as The Conservative gleefully points out, it is possible to gain Senate selection with as little as two per cent of the vote.

That could leave a future Coalition Government seeking the support of these two percenters to form a Government. One only needs to look at the developing situation across the Tasman to realise what might result.

So it’s not enough for the vast majority of us to dismiss The Conservative’s crazy ideas. Those behind this publication are deadly serious about wanting to get their hands on the levers of power, and we should be just as serious in ensuring it never happens.    

 

Public sweet on tax to curb obesity

HELSINKI (February 2): Finland’s Health Ministry is considering a recent survey that reveals a clear majority of citizens support the introduction of a tax targeting products high in sugar content, such as candies and biscuits.

The initiative, backed by 60 per cent of respondents and opposed by 31 per cent, showcases bipartisan support among both men and women.

Conducted by research institute Verian, the survey collected responses from 1,023 individuals, indicating a slight increase in support from a similar exercise three years ago, which showed 58 per cent in favour.

Chair of Terve Paino, a lobby group calling for a reduction in obesity rates in Finland, Pertti Mustajoki said a sugar tax was the key to combatting the growing obesity epidemic.

“The proposal for a sugar tax comes at a time when obesity rates among adults have doubled and tripled among children over the past four decades, with the trend continuing upward,” Professor Mustajoki said.

“Obesity disrupts metabolism and leads to dozens of diseases, causing significant human suffering and imposing billions of euros in costs on Finland's healthcare system and society at large.”

Currently, a tax is applied only to sugary drinks, which account for about 20 per cent of the sugar intake among Finns.

Expanding the tax to include other high-sugar products could generate more than €500 million ($A825 million) in annual revenue, adding to the approximately €220 million ($A363 million) already collected from the soda tax.

Vice Chair of Terve Paino, Pekka Puska said the tax was a no-brainer.

“A clear majority of the population supports it; it would improve public health and generate additional revenue to the State,” Professor Puska said.

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Brazilian Agency accused of illegal spying

BRASILA (January 30): Brazilian President, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has sacked the Deputy Director of the National Intelligence Agency and four Department heads as investigations continue into claims the Agency illegally spied on ex-President, Jair Bolsonaro's enemies.

The Deputy Director, Alessandro Moretti, is accused of passing information to the Agency’s former head, Alexandre Ramagem, a politician in Mr Bolsonaro's party.

The scandal was revealed when the Supreme Court unsealed documents in which the Agency was accused of carrying out surveillance on key political and judicial figures critical of the former President.

Among the alleged targets of the illegal eavesdropping were three Supreme Court justices and the Speaker of Brazil's Lower House of Congress.

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Irish workers settle on new pay deal

DUBLIN (January 30): More than 385,000 Irish Public Servants will get a 10.25 per cent pay rise in a new €3.6 billion ($A5.94 billion) wage agreement after Government officials and union leaders finalised a deal.

The breakthrough was made after lengthy negotiations at the Workplace Relations Commission headquarters in Lansdowne House in Dublin that went into the early hours of the morning.

Officials had previously offered unions a €2.9 billion ($A4.78 billion) package which was rejected.

Minister for Public Expenditure, Paschal Donohoe welcomed the proposed agreement, saying he believed it would provide certainty and stability for Public Servants, the Government and the public in the coming years.

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Teachers warn on proposed pension curb

KUALA LUMPUR (February 1): The Malaysian Government’s plan to abolish the pension scheme for new permanent Public Servants would result in a flight to the private sector, a teachers union leader has predicted.

President of the Malaysian Muslim Teachers Association, Mohd Azizee Hassan said the consequences would do lasting harm to the public sector.

"On behalf of the teachers' union, we urge this matter be reconsidered and a new pension scheme introduced,” Mr Azizee said.

Under the proposal, new hires in the Public Service will have to contribute to private schemes if they want a pension on retirement.

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Assembly returns amid crumbling services

BELFAST (February 3): The Northern Ireland Assembly has resumed control of affairs in the Province following a two-year stand-off with Westminster during which public services have been crumbling.

This is not the first suspension of the Government at Stormont, the one from 2017-20 was actually longer, but this one occurred within the mounting disruptions throughout the United Kingdom in the wake of the exit from the European Union. 

Nowhere has the damage been greater than in the healthcare sector, where more than 420,000 people are currently waiting for their first consultant-led outpatient appointment following referral, a more than fivefold increase since 2008.

While some individuals may appear on the list more than once awaiting separate treatments, this is still a huge figure in a population of 1.9 million.

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Fiji proclaims Civil Service Day

SUVA (January 31): The Fijian Government has officially designated the last Friday of every June as Civil Service Day, with the inaugural celebration set to take place on the 28^th of that month.

The initiative aligns closely with the aims and objectives of the United Nations Public Service Day, also observed every June.

Prime Minister, Sitiveni Rabuka, who is also head of the Civil Service, said it was an occasion to recognise the unwavering dedication and hard work of Civil Servants in helping to build a better nation.

He said it would not be a day off for Government workers, but a series of events would be organised “to celebrate achievements and stimulate a dialogue about the evolution of a modernised Civil Service in the 21st century”.

 

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