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.
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