Public Service News from around the world

Malaysian officers drafted in for flood relief

KUALA LUMPUR (December 31); Almost 5,000 Public Servants have been mobilised to help in post-flood relief missions in affected regions of Malaysia.

Director-General of the Public Service, Mohd Khairul Adib Abd Rahman said Government workers involved would be paid as if they were performing their official duties.

“Ministries will determine and direct officers in their respective Agencies to help implement post-flood duties according to the designated areas,” Mr Mohd said.

"It will be implemented in badly-hit areas for a specific period to ease the hardship of flood victims."

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Irish officials deciding on COVID exemptions

DUBLIN (December 28): Senior Irish Public Servants have been given the responsibility of deciding whether key workers who are symptom-free should be exempt from COVID-19 isolation requirements even if they are close contacts of people with the virus.

In a statement, the Government said this was part of contingency plans to ensure public services remained in operation amid high levels of infection.

There are already exemptions in place for essential staff in the health service; now this could be extended to the Gardaí (police), fire service personnel, prison officers and those involved in infrastructure and public utilities.

The statement noted that Departments are “working to ensure the full implementation of existing sectoral guidance, as well as putting in place contingency plans to ensure the continued operation of critical infrastructure and essential services”.

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New plan seeks ‘thousands’ of UK job cuts

LONDON (December 27): The United Kingdom’s Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rishi Sunak is preparing a plan to cut tens of thousands of jobs within the Public Service over the next three years, the Financial Times newspaper has reported.

Citing sources that had been briefed on the plan, the newspaper said the Treasury would release more information early in the New Year.

Unions warned the cuts could jeopardise Government plans to move thousands of Public Servants out of London to depressed areas in the Midlands and North.

Earlier in the year, Mr Sunak said he wanted to shrink the Public Service’s size to pre-pandemic levels by the middle of the decade. 

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UK workers’ pay rise ‘in the balance’

LONDON (December 26): The Minister responsible for the United Kingdom Public Service says a fair pay rise for senior Government officials must be balanced against “other considerations”.

Lord Theodore Agnew has sent a letter to the Senior Salaries Review Body stating that the Government’s first priority must be to protect funding for front-line services and ensuring affordability for taxpayers.

Two months ago, Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rishi Sunak declared that public sector pay growth over the next three years “should retain broad parity with the private sector”.

However, Lord Agnew’s letter made no mention of this, noting only that recent times had been “challenging”.

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Unions slam Nigerian water privatisation

ABUJA (December 24): Nigeria’s Public Service unions have joined mounting opposition to Government plans to privatise the country’s water supply.

A statement from the unions said the Bill currently before Federal Parliament “is anti-people and will make clean water inaccessible to most Nigerians”.

“Privatisation will price water above the reach of the poor. Privatisation will lead to job losses to privateers who are interested only in maximising profits,” the statement said.

“We implore Governments, Federal and State in Nigeria, to develop the political will and swing into action in order to improve water infrastructure for regular water supply to the citizens.”

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India seeking remedies for PS shortages

NEW DELHI (December 26): The Indian Government is to establish a panel that will seek ways to address the growing shortage of officers in the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) and the Indian Police Service (IPS).

According to sources, the panel will assess “the number of officers that would be required over the next 10 years to man the various senior positions in the State and Central cadres”.

The States have a severe shortage of IAS and IPS officers. As an example, in Kerala only 52 per cent of IPS and 62 per cent of IAS positions are filled.

Nationally, there is reported to be a shortage of 2,418 IAS and IPS officers.

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Maltese official under investigation

VALETTA (December 26): The head of the Maltese Public Service is looking into whether action should be taken against the Ministry of Education’s top official following an ethics probe into a contract awarded to his then Minister’s close friend.   

Principal Permanent Secretary, Mario Cutajar said the internal process would consider whether Permanent Secretary at the Ministry, Frank Fabri broke any rules and if he should face disciplinary measures. 

Mr Fabri was named by Standards Commissioner, George Hyzler over a €15,000 ($A23,500) contract awarded to Daniel Bogdanovic, a close friend of Minister for Education, Justyne Caruana who then resigned.   

Mr Hyzler called on Parliament’s Standards Committee to consider passing the matter on to the police for an investigation into possible offences that carry an effective six-month prison sentence.

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Biden signs off on Federal pay rise

WASHINGTON (December 30): Federal Public Servants in the United States are to receive a 2.2 per cent pay increase plus a 0.5 per cent rise in locality payments under an Executive Order signed by President Joe Biden.

The adjustment brings the civilian Public Service into line with the pay rise already granted to the military.

It means that employees in the Senior Executive Service, Senior Level or Scientific and Professional classifications will have a new minimum pay of $US135,468 ($A186,531) in 2022.

However, President of the National Active and Retired Federal Employees Association, Ken Thomas said the award did not take into account recent steep rises in inflation which would likely more than wipe out the increase.

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Pandemic bonus for Philippines workers

MANILA (December 30): Philippines Public Servants are to receive a one-off payment of PHP10,000 ($A270)  under an Administrative Order (AO) signed by President Rodrigo Duterte.

The AO “acknowledges all Public Servants for their collective and unceasing participation in, and invaluable contribution to, the establishment of streamlined Government processes…especially in the midst of the prevailing public health emergency”.

It continues: “It is imperative to provide reasonable incentives and assistance to Public Servants who are impacted not only by the pandemic but also by various natural calamities.”

It states the incentive would be received by civilian personnel in National Government Agencies, including those in State universities and colleges and Government-owned or controlled corporations.

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‘Enrichment’ program for Maldives services

MALE (December 30); Maldives President Ibrahim Solih has launched the Executive Enhancement and Enrichment Program, claiming it will greatly assist the Government’s efforts to improve the delivery of public services.

The President urged all Public Servants to support the two-year program, which builds on the recent launch of the gov.mv message, an official digital service for citizen-to-Government communications.

Mr Solih also stressed the need to create public awareness and train Public Servants on the use of new technology.

“We are working hard to upgrade this technology in all public offices,” Mr Solih said.

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Isle of Man call for more efficient PS

DOUGLAS (January 1): The President of the Isle of Man Chamber of Commerce has called for a more "efficient and responsive" Public Service to aid the island’s recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Kristan McDonald said the public sector needed to follow the private sector in changing its practices to reduce bureaucracy, adding that a Government plan to overhaul Departments was "a very good vision".

Mr McDonald said the private sector had transformed in response to technology changes, demographic change and the pandemic.

"We need the Public Service to do the same thing, changing its risk-averse attitude,” Mr McDonald said.  

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Year-end payment for Cayman retirees

GEORGE TOWN (December 26): Retired Public Servants in the Cayman Islands have received a one-off end-of-year payment of $C150 ($A252).

Deputy Governor and Head of the Public Service, Franz Manderson thanked his Cabinet colleagues for supporting the pensioners.

“Many of them have served our beloved Islands for decades and could easily be described as the backbone of our society,” Mr Manderson said.

Minister for Finance and Economic Development, Chris Saunders said the Government recognised the valuable contributions the former Public Servants had  made during their working lives.

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Bahamas PS ‘poison pill’ for Government

NASSAU (December 26): Bahamas Minister for Public Service, Fred Mitchell has slammed the “deplorable” state of the bureaucracy left behind by the Government of Hubert Minnis, saying it had been a “poison pill” for the incoming administration.

“There’s plenty of passive-aggressive resistance throughout the system; poison pills left by the last administration. I have been told that because Minnis called the General Election suddenly, budgets and payments were thrown out, so I couldn’t even get my staff paid on time,” Mr Mitchell said.

“The whole system is in disarray and off balance. We must fix the public administration. We must fix the institutions of Government so they can appropriately respond to what the political directorate requires.”

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Bihar PS hopeful foils train robbery

PATNA (January 1): An applicant for the Indian State of Bihar’s Public Service examination, Ritik Kumar Verma is being hailed as a hero after he intervened to stop a gang of young robbers on the Bhagalpur-Danapur Intercity Express train, taking a shot in the stomach in the process.

Police said the robbers boarded the train at Bhagalpur and as soon as it was in motion began demanding valuables from travellers. Mr Verma (27) intervened and was shot, prompting the gang to pull the emergency cord and flee.

Mr Verma was rushed to hospital where doctors said the wound was not life-threatening. Police said he had been studying for the State Public Service examination with an ambition to serve the people.

Superintendent of Police at Jamalpur Rail, Amir Javed said Mr Verma and other passengers had helped to identify members of the dozen-strong gang and he was confident of arrests.

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Praise for Jamaica’s front-line workers

KINGSTON (December 31): Jamaica’s healthcare workers have been praised for their work on the front-line of the battle to contain the COVID-19 pandemic.

Minister of Finance and the Public Service, Nigel Clarke highlighted the work of the Nurses Association of Jamaica, the Jamaica Medical Doctors Association, and the Jamaica Midwives Association.

Speaking after the signing of an agreement for a four per cent salary increase for all public sector workers, Dr Clarke said Jamaica’s health system had experienced an unprecedented crisis sparked by the pandemic, resulting in a significant economic fallout.

“There was no work-from-home for nurses, doctors and midwives. On the contrary, their work became harder and more intense, and the risk was greater,” Dr Clarke said.

The full International PS News service will resume on January 18 

Public Service News from around the world

Case stands down from UK party probe

LONDON (21 December): United Kingdom Cabinet Secretary, Simon Case has stood down from his investigation into alleged Christmas parties at Downing Street after claims that he had also broken COVID-19 rules.

Mr Case, who heads the Public Service, had been tasked by Prime Minister, Boris Johnson with investigating whether a series of alleged Christmas parties broke pandemic restrictions in late 2020.

However, he has now been accused of attending two parties in December last year at the Cabinet Office — one in his personal office and another in a nearby waiting room.

The inquiry will be taken on by Sue Gray, a former Head of Propriety and Ethics at the Cabinet Office and now a senior official at the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities.

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Joint bid for US Federal recruitment

WASHINGTON (December 20): Two outside organisation have launched a joint program aimed at creating an internship program for Federal Agencies to attract young people into the United States Public Service.

The Partnership for Public Service, a non-profit organisation dedicated to improving the effectiveness of Federal Government, is administering the Future Leaders in Public Service program, while Schmidt Futures, a philanthropic group, is funding it.

The program will begin with 400 interns for the Departments of Commerce and Transportation equally divided over the 2022 and 2023 summers. 

The positions will go to graduate school students and pay a $US4,000 ($A5,550) stipend. The internships will last 10-to-12 weeks and be located primarily in the Washington area, though some may have flexibility due to Agencies’ current telework statuses.

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Green light for ‘enhanced’ Nigerian PS plan

ABUJA (December 19): An ‘enhanced’ Nigerian Federal Civil Service Strategy and Implementation Plan (2021-2025) has been given the green light by the Government.

Head of the Public Service, Folasade Yemi-Esan said the plan was the result of contributions by the private sector, serving and retired senior Public Servants, labour unions and associations, and other development partners.

“The aim is to achieve a world-class Civil Service that will accelerate national development,” Ms Yemi-Esan said.

“I am convinced that the implementation of the initiatives itemised in the plan will galvanise the Service to greater heights.”

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Cambodian jobs freeze in COVID battle

PHNOM PENH (December 22): The Cambodian Government has announced a snap Public Service recruitment freeze so funds can be diverted to fighting the COVID-19 outbreak in the country.

Minister of Economy and Finance, Aun Pornmoniroth said there would be no expansion of jobs in 2022. Apart from the Ministries of Interior and Health, officers who retired during the year would not be replaced.

Mr Pornmoniroth said the Government would maintain current salary levels and there was a possibility of an increment later.

The Civil Service Ministry held recruitment examinations for more than 5,000 applicants to fill 375 positions in October.

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Stressed NI workers ramp up sickness days

BELFAST (December 19): More than 3.1 days per staff member were lost due to sickness in the Northern Ireland Public Service during the September quarter, a new report has revealed.

Figures released by the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency showed there had been an increase of a day per staff member lost to illness compared to the previous year’s statistics.

The absence levels equate to almost £10 million ($A18.6 million) in lost production, with the latest figures showing more than 68,000 working days were lost.

Anxiety, stress and depression were among the reasons that accounted for the greatest proportion of working days lost.

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Call for Indian exams in more languages

NEW DELHI (December 20): An Indian MP has called on the Government to allow the country’s Union Public Service Commission Public Service examinations to be taken in regional languages as well as English and Hindi.

Su Venkatesan, who represents the city of Madurai in the southern State of Tamil Nadu, says the current system produces a bias against candidates from non-Hindi speaking States as they have to assimilate and comprehend questions in English before answering them.

“This is a double blow. Because the questions are not in regional languages, coaching materials for preparation are also not available in those languages,” Mr Venkatesan said.

“It is against natural justice and does not ensure a level playing field for the candidates belonging to non-Hindi speaking States.”

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Ireland’s MyGovID passes a milestone

DUBLIN (December 21): Ireland’s Department of Social Protection says three million people have now registered for an account on the MyGovID platform.

In a statement, the Department said the MyGovID service provided users with a safe and secure ‘single sign-on’ to online public services in Ireland.

“It is designed to facilitate a more joined-up Government approach, with more sharing, more reuse and more integration between public bodies,” the statement said.

“MyGovID provides access to a range of online public services in welfare, revenue, transport, education, agriculture and more.”

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Shake-up for Jamaican public bodies

KINGSTON (December 22): A total of 43 Jamaican public bodies have been rationalised over the past four years under the Government’s Public Sector Transformation Program.

Executive Director of the Transformation Implementation Unit (TIU), Maria Thompson Walters said the rationalisation of public bodies was a pillar of the program, and included closures, mergers, divestments and integration into parent Ministries.

Ms Thompson Walters said that although some public bodies had become dormant, the requirements of the Companies Office of Jamaica meant they must still have a board of directors and produce annual reports.

Minister of Finance and the Public Service, Nigel Clarke said the growth of public bodies over the past several decades had been to address inefficiencies or constraints in the Public Service, that were best circumvented by putting such bodies in place.

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Digital platform to address Greek bureaucracy

ATHENS (December 22): The Greek Government says it will launch a digital platform aimed at reducing “time-consuming, patience-testing and confusing bureaucracy”, when the public accesses the Public Service.

The National Register of Procedures lays out in detail the necessary steps to complete transactions with the State, including required documents and how they should be submitted. 

In a statement, the Digital Ministry said the project was expected to be ready in pilot form in the first half of 2022.

“It will be accessible both to members of the public and Civil Servants and will go a long way toward reducing time-consuming, patience-testing and confusing bureaucracy which has become a byword for transactions with the public sector,” the statement said.

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Roadmap to ‘modernise’ Jordan PS

AMMAN (December 25): Jordan’s Cabinet has decided to establish a committee to modernise the Public Service.

Prime Minister, Bisher Al Khasawneh said modernising the public sector had become a necessity as it was the main driver for economic reforms and other reforms associated with developing the political system.

He said the committee would work within a timeframe of six months, after which it would offer a comprehensive roadmap and an executive program to modernise public administration and facilitate procedures.

“The committee will revisit all governance in the public sector to ensure it matches the best international practices. It will enhance values of efficiency and institutionalism to improve public administration,” Mr Khasawneh said.

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NZ Ministry lagging in diversity

WELLINGTON (December 16): New Zealand’s Ministry for the Environment has revealed that the nation’s minorities are under-represented among its staff.

While Māori people represent about 16.5 per cent of the population — and of the public sector generally — they are just 12.6 per cent of the Ministry’s staff. However, that represents a five per cent increase on last year.

Asian people are just eight per cent of staff at the Ministry, despite being more than 11 per cent of the public sector workforce generally and 15 per cent of the total population.

Pasifika represent just 2.2 per cent of workers, despite being nearly 10 per cent of the public sector and eight per cent of the population.

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Unvaccinated HK workers to pay for more tests

HONG KONG (December 24): Unvaccinated employees of Hong Kong’s Hospital Authority will be required to pay for more frequent COVID-19 tests from January 4.

In a statement, the Authority said 96 per cent of its staff, or 84,480 of 88,000 employees, had received at least one vaccination.

“From January 4, unvaccinated workers must take tests at their own expense outside working hours every three days, as opposed to the current seven days, amid the threat of the growing number of variant cases worldwide," the statement said.

“Only those who have doctor's certificates proving they are unfit for inoculations can take the tests during working hours and have their fees reimbursed, and only tests from combined nasal and throat swab samples will be accepted.”

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Philippine workers banned from electioneering

MANILA (December 17): The Philippines Department of Education has reminded its employees that they are banned from any political activities during the 2022 national and local elections.

In a statement, the Department said this was in accordance with the existing rules and regulations of the Civil Service Commission and the Commission on Elections.

“Government officials and employees are prohibited from engaging in any electioneering and partisan political activity to ensure Civil Servants are focused on public service,” the statement said.

“Guided by these policies, we call on our personnel and stakeholders to champion clean, safe, and fair elections in 2022, for our children and for the future of this nation.”

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Antigua vaccine refusers go to court

SAINT JOHN’S (December 17): Two Antigua and Barbuda Public Servants sent home for failing to take a COVID-19 vaccination have begun legal action against the Government.

A public sector jab mandate was announced in September and stipulated that all public sector workers must have at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine before returning to work.

Lawyer, Lawrence Daniels said he was challenging the vaccine mandate on behalf of two women employed in the Public Service who were sent home without pay.

The matter was adjourned until early next year.

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World Bank questions Gulf PS pay-outs

WASHINGTON (December 24): The World Bank has questioned the huge amounts of money Gulf region Governments lavish on their employees’ salaries and benefits and warned of the risks involved.

In a statement, the World Bank said while the size of the public sectors in many Gulf Cooperation Council countries was within international norms, the cost was often not.

“Public Servants are paid a wage premium of between 50-to-100 per cent over what they would receive in the private sector,” the statement said.

It noted that in Saudi Arabia, allowances for Public Servants had risen threefold from 2019 and now accounted for more than a third of the Government’s total wage bill, while Oman’s wage bill had doubled in the past decade.

The full International PS News service will resume on January 18 

 

 

 

Public Service News from around the world

Irish Department backs down on card use

DUBLIN (December 12): Ireland’s Department of Social Protection has dropped its appeal against use of the controversial Public Services Card (PSC), acknowledging that without legislative changes its possession cannot be a precondition by other public sector bodies for the provision of their services.

Announcing that proceedings between it and the Department on the matter had been resolved, the Data Protection Commission (DPC) said at least one other option must now be accepted in any case where an individual is required to verify their identity before accessing public services.

The PSC was introduced in 2011 to tackle welfare fraud and was gradually rolled out to access other services, including obtaining a passport and voter registration.

In 2017, the DPC launched an investigation into the use of the card following complaints from civil liberties groups. It found there was no basis in law for public bodies to require individuals to possess the card in order to access public services.

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UK calls for help with COVID booster

LONDON (December 14): The United Kingdom Government is asking up to 120,000 Public Servants to assist the National Health Service with a COVID-19 booster vaccine roll-out.

Whitehall officials said they wanted to see volunteers step up and help with the campaign to offer boosters to all adults aged 18 and over by the New Year.

They said 80,000 additional workers would be needed for non-clinical work and 40,000 for clinical assistance.   

Whitehall workers are permitted to take five days of leave every year to engage in volunteering activities.

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Ontario work from home order extended

TORONTO (December 14): A return-to-0ffice order for thousands of Public Servants in the Canadian Province of Ontario has been reversed amid a rapidly escalating fourth wave of COVID-19 infections.

Workers were told to work from home until “at least” February 7 next year.

It comes as the Provincial Government considers how to battle the fast-spreading Omicron variant of the virus, which is now responsible for 21 per cent of the Province’s new cases.

The move aligns with the recommendations of Ontario's Chief Medical Officer, Kieran Moore who said employees should, wherever possible, work from home in an attempt to reduce mobility and transmission of the virus.

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 COVID boost to NZPS employment

WELLINGTON (December 9): New Zealand’s Public Service workforce has risen to 61,100 employees over the past year, up by almost 4,000, with the battle against COVID-19 the major reason for the growth.

Public Service Commissioner, Peter Hughes said half of the seven per cent rise in full-time-equivalent employees was directly attributable to the global pandemic response and about 40 per cent was to support other Government priorities.

He did not see growth continuing at the same rate in future, and said most of the increase over the past year occurred in the four Agencies at the heart of the pandemic response.

They were the Ministries of Health (450 staff for the response and vaccination); Social Development (850 for front-line services); Business, Innovation and Employment (250 for managed isolation and quarantine facilities) and New Zealand Customs (250 for maritime border orders).

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 CPC spirit at heart of new HK College

 HONG KONG (December 11): Hong Kong’s Civil Service College has been officially opened, with Chief Executive, Carrie Lam saying its staff needed to “recognise the philosophy and spirit of the Communist Party of China (CPC)”.

 “The priority for the Academy is to enhance the understanding by Civil Servants of the relationship between the Central Government and the Government of the Special Administrative Region (Hong Kong),” Ms Lam said.

"Civil Servants should accurately understand the Constitution and the Basic Law, so they can uphold the 'one country, two systems' principle and take up the responsibility of ensuring national security."  

Sources said the establishment of the Academy was another step in Beijing’s insistence that only "patriots” should be ruling Hong Kong.

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 Philippines ‘public utility’ definition changed

 MANILA (December 15): The Philippines Senate has approved a second reading of a Bill that seeks to amend the Public Service Act, allowing foreign ownership of airlines and telecommunications firms, among other public services.

 The proposed legislation limits ‘public utility’ to the distribution and transmission of electricity, water and sewerage systems, airports, seaports, and public utility vehicles.

 Sectors such as telecommunications, airlines, and the domestic shipping industry would no longer be covered by the requirement that they be owned by Philippines citizens.

One of the Bill’s sponsors, Grace Poe said by opening these sectors to foreign investors, she expected Filipinos would be given “modern, more accessible and affordable services”.

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 UK Brexiteer named as jobs regulator

LONDON (December 11): The naming of a prominent campaigner for the United Kingdom’s exit from the European Union (Brexit) to a senior role regulating appointments to the Public Service has been described as “deeply inappropriate”.

 Gisela Stuart, who chaired the Vote Leave campaign during the 2016 referendum, has been selected by Prime Minister, Boris Johnson to become the First Civil Servant Commissioner, leading a team who will scrutinise candidates for top jobs in Whitehall.

Ms Stuart will probably have a powerful say on appointments for Departments’ Permanent Secretaries and other senior Public Service jobs.

Shadow Minister for the Cabinet Office, Fleur Anderson said Ms Stuart had been a front-line politician and “there are huge questions marks over whether she can uphold the independence and integrity of this role”.

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 Israeli ‘bonus for performance’ trial launched

 JERUSALEM (December 11): In a new trial, 3,000 Israeli Public Servants are being paid bonuses of up to an additional monthly salary per year, according to their work performance.

The pilot program will run for two years. Its aim is to switch to differential remuneration for Public Servants, thus creating incentives for excellence.

In the current situation, Public Servants receive a bonus if they reach high 'percentages of efficiency'. However, the targets are so loosely defined that almost all workers receive the grant.

 In the event the trial succeeds, it will gradually be expanded to include all Government Ministries and related units and will be included in the collective agreements of employees.

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Pay warning dampens Nigerian Christmas cheer

 ABUJA (December 11): Nigerian Federal Public Servants have been advised to spend their November salary cautiously because there may be a delay in getting their December pay-out.

 The warning came from Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Folasade Yemi-Esan who said workers should make provisions for Christmas celebrations from their November salary because of end-of-year budgetary constraints.

 “It is noteworthy that while it is important to issue this advice, staff are hereby assured that the Centre is doing everything within its capability to forestall unnecessary delays,” Dr Yemi-Esan said in a circular to all staff.

 “The contents of this circular should be treated with the seriousness they deserve.”

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 Latino makes history at US Census Bureau

WASHINGTON (December 15): The new head of the United States Census Bureau, Robert Santos will be the first Latino and only the second person of colour to lead the Agency in its more than 230-year history.

Mr Santos is one of the country’s leading statisticians, a Mexican American who has been appointed by the Administration of President Joe Biden and confirmed by the Senate for a five-year-term.

He will head an Agency that is still mostly Anglo, with close to four-out-of-five senior executives at the Bureau identifying as white.

 The Bureau's hiring practices have come under scrutiny over the years. During the 2010 census, it was hit with a lawsuit claiming its screening process for temporary jobs discriminated against Black and Latino applicants with arrest records, including those who had not been convicted or even charged with a crime. The case was settled in 2016.

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 Maltese officials in jobs stoush

 VALETTA (December 8): The head of the Maltese Public Service, Mario Cutajar has attacked the nation’s Ombudsman, questioning whether he upholds the same standards on persons of trust that he expects of others.

The Ombudsman has long criticised the employment of people from outside the Public Service on a so-called ‘position of trust’ basis, even questioning if it is in conformity with the constitution.

However, Mr Cutajar said the Ombudsman’s Office was employing people on that same position of trust basis.

He also criticised the Ombudsman for delays in resolving cases, saying a number had become “stuck” at the Ombudsman’s Office, without the Government ever receiving any feedback about whether they had been resolved.

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 NZ wage growth slips below private sector

WELLINGTON (December 11): Wage growth in New Zealand’s public sector fell behind that of the private sector for the first time since 2018, a census of Public Servants has revealed.

More than 60,000 Government employees across 36 Agencies took part in the census, which the Public Service Commission now plans to hold every two years.

It found wages in the private sector grew by 2.2 per cent compared with 1.9 per cent in the public sector.

The biggest public sector increase was among the lowest-paid employees where wages rose by 3.7 per cent. This was put down to increases in the legislated minimum wage, the strength of the Living Wage Movement and other pay equity concerns.

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Lebanese officers slip into poverty

BEIRUT (11 December): Long regarded as bloated, lethargic and rife with corruption, Lebanon’s public sector is falling into further disarray due to an economic crisis that has left some eight in 10 people poor, according to United Nations Agencies.

Before the crisis, most Public Servants earned salaries worth at least $US1,000 ($A1,395) a month. Today, most are earning around a tenth of that after a currency crisis led the Lebanese pound to lose more than 90 per cent of its value.

Some public sector workers have gone on indefinite strike over better pay and living conditions. Others simply can't make it into work now a full tank of petrol eats up half their monthly wage and benefits.

Director-General of the Traffic and Vehicles Management Authority, Hoda Salloum said her Agency would probably be able to keep working until the end of the year “then, it's up to God".

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UK union gears up for pay battle

LONDON (December 15): The United Kingdom’s biggest Public Service union says it will ballot its members on their willingness to strike should a better-than-inflation pay rise not be agreed with the Government next year.

The Public and Commercial Services union said it would ask all public-sector members for their views in the New Year in a move aimed at holding Ministers to Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rishi Sunak’s promise that a pause on pay rises was now over.

General Secretary of the union, Mark Serwotka said a combination of inflation, national insurance hikes to fund the Government’s social care plans, and a failure to recalculate contribution rates to the Civil Service Pension Scheme would hit Public Servants in the pocket.

“With inflation running at five per cent, Public Servants are in line to receive the single-biggest reduction in living standards any of us can remember,” Mr Serwotka said. 

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Boost in Cayman salaries, numbers

GEORGE TOWN (December 12): A new report on the Cayman Islands Public Service has found it is growing both in numbers and in the average salaries paid.

The Government’s annual human resources report for 2020 showed that average salaries increased by $2,946 ($A5,012) per year from 2019, mainly as a result of a five per cent cost-of-living adjustment as well as the decision to move the minimum salary of teachers to $5,000 ($A8,507) a month.

Meanwhile, employee numbers grew from 3,878 in 2018 to 4,102 in 2019 and 4,268 in 2020.

Female representation of 55 per cent was five percentage points higher than across the labour force as a whole.

The full International PS News service will resume on January 18 

 

 

COVID questions and the Murdoch media

Western Australian Premier Mark McGowan says he State’s borders will remain partially closed, possibly until early February when the State should reach 90 per cent of its population double vaccinated against COVID-19.

McGowan says a full interstate and international opening before that could cost up to 200 lives.

In Tasmania, Peter Gutwein has set a December 15 date for reopening to the rest of Australia when he also expects to have reached a 90 per cent vaccination rate.

The Australian Capital Territory has already reached more than 95 per cent fully vaccinated, but is still restricting travel to some ‘high-risk’ areas.

In Victoria and New South Wales the Premiers have decided the need to alleviate economic hardship must come before the risk of opening before 90 per cent, and that after long lockdowns their populations need a decent Christmas.  

Australia has a federalised system of Government. It means that State Premiers and Territory Chief Ministers have the final say on measures to combat the pandemic.

Inevitably this means there will be no uniform plan for opening borders and allowing travel from one jurisdiction to another. We have to live with that.

It is also fair to say that none of the six Premiers and two Chief Ministers signed up for what the country as a whole has been experiencing over the last year and a half.

Running a State or a Territory has more to do with building schools or planning roads than balancing issues of life and death.

Is it too much to respect the decisions they are making now and leaving any inquests until after COVID-19 has been tamed if not beaten?

Sadly the answer is ‘no’ in the case of the country’s right-wing Murdoch media.

Labor’s McGowan has been pilloried for sticking to his 90 per cent vaccination target, while Gutwein, a Liberal, has been left virtually untouched for making the same decision.

It’s just another case of the old man in New York saying ‘jump’ and his Australian flunkies asking ‘how high?’

Wolf warrior diplomacy pays off – for now

 The recent comments by China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Hua Chunying following the release of Huawei Chief Financial Officer, Meng Wanzhou from Canadian custody, have underlined just how far Beijing is now prepared to go in defence of its citizens overseas.

When Australians travel internationally we are frankly informed by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade that if we transgress local laws and find ourselves in jail there is not a great deal they can do about it.

Not so China.

If they are important enough (and Meng obviously is) Beijing will go to any lengths to protect their citizens while ensuring the country that dares to detain them is punished until, in the beloved parlance of the Chinese Foreign Ministry, it “corrects its mistakes”.

Canada quite properly detained Meng after the US issued an extradition request for her to stand trial on alleged bank fraud charges, but legal processes had hardly begun before two Canadian citizens unlucky enough to be in China at the time, were scooped up and jailed.

The two, Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor were said to have confessed their guilt to charges of espionage, but were miraculously pardoned and allowed to go home within hours of the US and Canada backing down and ending the case against Meng.    

Hua put it bluntly when she stated that Canada should "draw lessons," from China's show of strength and “act according to its own interests”.

In other words, if you mess with our citizens in your country we’ll just grab some of yours off our streets and hold them hostage until you see sense.

Beijing’s loyal mouthpiece, the Global Times newspaper then editorialised that Meng’s release was an opportunity to improve “the toxic political rhetoric that was poisoning” relations with the US and Canada.

The world does need better relations between the major powers. A little more global harmony and openness would help address the immediate issues of the COVID pandemic and climate change as well as ageing populations and access to clean water, which are going to press upon us in the not too distant future.

However, this cannot happen as a result of what has come to be termed wolf warrior diplomacy and the rubbishing of recognised international norms of law.

If China is to play the gangster on the international stage, is it any wonder that countries are going to take measures to protect themselves by forming alliances and buying sophisticated weaponry?

Maybe this is a something from which Beijing could “draw lessons” and perhaps even “correct its mistakes”. 

Afghanistan: Beijing is smiling — for now

 Amid the chaos and confusion – now a deadly blast – that has surrounded the hurried withdrawal from Afghanistan there has been undisguised satisfaction in Beijing at what it sees as a humiliation for its rivals in the democratic West.

Unlike the United States, United Kingdom, Australia and other partners in the botched nation-building experiment, China will maintain its embassy in Kabul (as will Russia) while the nation’s media says Chinese authorities are reportedly “looking forward” to strengthening ties with Afghanistan and working with the new Taliban rulers.

There is no doubt the Chinese leadership sees a golden chance to extend its influence in an area dominated by the United States and its allies since the early years of this century, but if recent events are any judge, it is in for some unpleasant surprises.

China has already infiltrated neighbouring Pakistan, a key link in its ambitious One Belt One Road (OBOR) initiative, but while its activities there have been overshadowed by the rapid disintegration of the Western-back Afghan Government, it has been far from easy going.

In July 13 people, including nine Chinese nationals, were killed when a suicide blast sent a bus plunging into a ravine in the remote northern region of the country.

The bus was carrying Chinese engineers to the site of the Dasu hydroelectric project, a key OBOR investment, and Pakistani authorities later blamed the attack on the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan group.

Then, just a few days ago, a suicide bomber attacked a Chinese motorcade in Baluchistan, injuring one Chinese national and killing two children.

In both cases the Chinese Embassy in Islamabad called on Pakistani authorities to “conduct a thorough investigation and severely punish the perpetrators”.

Good luck with that.

Despite these setbacks next door, reports suggest Beijing is pressing its embassy in Kabul to engage with the Taliban to explore business possibilities.

There is even a Taliban spokesman who has told Chinese media that China could play a role in the reconstruction of Afghanistan.

China knows little to nothing about Afghanistan, but it could take a few lessons from history.

The British, the Russians and now the United States have failed to change the country from its patchwork of often antagonistic fiefdoms and warlords and China will be no different.

The Taliban, holding sway for the moment, regards anyone who does not adhere to its particular Pashtunwali interpretation of Islam to be an infidel and an enemy, especially if they are foreigners who dare to tread the sacred soil of their country.

China, which professes no religion at all, will be seen with particular contempt.

Yes, it is quite possible that in this transition stage, the media-savvy Taliban might like to have some nations onside. China could serve that purpose – for now.

However, if Beijing adopts the same bullying attitude that has been apparent in say Sri Lanka, or hectors local authorities over incidents involving its citizens as it has recently in Pakistan, I suggest it issues its Kabul diplomats with flak jackets and a way of making a fast exit.