CANBERRA (June 3): More than 2000 Australian Public Servants across Federal, State and Local Governments have gone on the record to condemn what they say is the Government’s complicity in a genocide in Palestine.
In a letter to Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese the 2074 officers call on the Australian Government “to take swift and decisive action to end its support of the genocide, ethnic cleansing and illegal occupation of Palestine by immediately ceasing all military exports to Israel”.
It says Australia may be violating international law and may be complicit in criminal warfare, and notes Canada, Belgium, Italy, Spain and the Netherlands have already suspended arms exports in line with a United Nations resolution.
It comes after the United Kingdom Public and Commercial Services Union requested a meeting with the Department for Business and Trade to discuss “the legal jeopardy faced by Civil Servants” involved in overseeing arms exports to Israel.
The Australian letter says bombs are being dropped on Gaza by warplanes with parts manufactured in Australia, and the drone that killed Australian aid worker, Zomi Frankcom was made by a company that was awarded nearly $1 billion by Australia in February.
It says the Pine Gap surveillance base, near Alice Springs was also supplying intelligence to the Israeli military.
Included in the letter’s demands is that the Government stops supplying military aid to Israel; that no further reconnaissance support be provided by Pine Gap, and that all contracts and cooperation with Israeli weapons suppliers cease.
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UK union supports harassment victims
LONDON (June 1): United Kingdom trade union, Prospect has launched a helpline for Public Servants who experience sexual harassment at work, following revelations about the scale of sexual misconduct at the Ministry of Defence.
Members of the union, which represents professionals in the Civil Service and other areas of the public sector, can use the service to record instances of sexual harassment and enable Prospect to track “problem areas”, the union said in a statement.
“They will also have the option to talk to a trained staff member or discuss possible next steps, such as raising the issue formally with their employer,” the statement said.
The service comes after a series of revelations about bad behaviour at the Ministry of Defence, including an open letter to its Permanent Secretary complaining of a “hostile” and “toxic” culture at the Department.
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Former Mexico Mayor steps up to top job
MEXICO CITY (June 3): Former Mayor of Mexico City, Claudia Sheinbaum has become the first woman President in the country's 200-year history.
The National Electoral Institute said Ms Sheinbaum had between 58.3 per cent and 60.7 per cent of the vote, far ahead of her nearest challenger, Xóchitl Gálvez on between 26.6 per cent and 28.6 per cent.
Ms Sheinbaum was the candidate of the country’s governing Morena Party and had been endorsed by outgoing President, Andrés Manuel López Obrador.
The granddaughter of Bulgarian and Lithuanian Jewish migrants, she has been described by commentators as a "dedicated leftist known for keeping a cool head in times of crisis".
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Dutch free school meals program endangered
THE HAGUE (June 1): The Netherlands new right-wing Coalition Government has left a free school meal program in limbo, with no funds guaranteed after the end of the year.
Schools in neighbourhoods where at least 30 per cent of students come from low-income families have distributed free meals or grocery cards. More than 2,100 primary and secondary schools participate in the program.
However, a Government spokesperson denied the program had been cancelled simply that “it had not been discussed” and that it would be “up to the next Minster” to see if there was any money available for it.
An earlier evaluation by the Ministry of Education found that teachers had reported fewer hungry children in the classroom, meaning they could concentrate better on their schoolwork.
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Hong Kong cuts back on officers’ pay rise
HONG KONG (June 5): Hong Kong’s 170,000 Civil Servants will get a three per cent pay increase this year, Secretary for the Civil Service, Ingrid Yeung Ho Poi-yan has announced.
Ms Yeung said the increase had taken into account Hong Kong's economy and fiscal position and the workers' morale.
The pay rise is significantly lower than the figures revealed by the pay trend survey, the usual basis for assessing Government pay. The survey had suggested a 4.01 per cent rise for senior Civil Servants, 4.32 per cent for those in the middle rank, and 5.47 per cent for junior officers.
Ms Yeung said Civil Servants' performance over the past year should be recognised — "but on the other hand, the Government has to face financial deficits that have lasted for years, so the three per cent rise is the most appropriate decision".
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Three-year pay deal for Scottish workers
EDINBURGH (June 4): The Scottish Government has announced pay rises for the public sector, totalling 9.3 per cent over the next three years.
The pay framework applies to officers working in the Government — except senior Civil Servants — and those in 71 public bodies, such as the Scottish Prison Service, the Risk Management Authority and Historic Environment Scotland.
Finance Minister, Shona Robison said the “above-inflation multi-year framework” would offer workers certainty and a degree of pay restoration when set against expected inflation forecasts up to 2027.
“Our approach to public sector pay in recent years means that people in key public sector roles in Scotland are now paid six per cent more on average than in the rest of the United Kingdom, demonstrating that we have supported public sector workers during the cost-of-living crisis,” Ms Robison said.
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Greek Ministry assisting stranded tourists
ATHENS (June 4): The Greek Tourism Ministry says it is doing everything in its power to assist foreign travellers stranded in the country after German tour operator, FTI filed for bankruptcy.
In a statement, the Ministry said regular meetings with affected travellers were already under way.
“Hotel owners hosting these visitors will cover the costs of their transfers to Greek airports. The German tour operator’s bankruptcy does not inflict financial damage on the hotel owners as the hotels have been prepaid,” the statement said.
The number of foreign visitors who are in Greece with FTI is estimated at 7,500.
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Swaziland to review ‘worthless’ salaries
MBABANE (June 4): Swaziland’s Minister of Public Service says a much anticipated salary review for the African nation’s Government workers will begin later this month.
The announcement, by Ministry Principal Secretary, Sipho Tsabedze comes after claims by an increasing number of bureaucrats that their salaries had deteriorated to such an extent as to be worthless.
Mr Tsabedze acknowledged the concerns, but said it was not an easy matter, as the economy was not doing well.
“The salary review exercise surely will partially address the concerns of the public sector workers regarding their low salaries, which the Government recognises is not enough to enable them to cope with the ever-soaring cost of living,” Mr Tsabedze said.
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Maldives places ban on Israelis
MALE (June 1): The Maldives Presidential Office has announced Israeli passport holders will be banned from entering the Indian Ocean island nation as a protest against Israel’s war on Hamas in Gaza.
Maldivian President, Mohamed Muizzu later said he had decided to impose the ban following a recommendation from the Cabinet.
“The country’s laws will be amended, and a Cabinet Sub-committee will be established to oversee the efforts,” Mr Muizzu said.
In response, the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs recommended Israelis avoid travel to the island and that Israeli citizens staying in the country should consider leaving.
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