Will the recommendations of the Public Service CoI be implemented?

Dear Editor,

Kindly publish the attached letter on the recommendations of the Commission of Inquiry into the Public Service. The report was submitted to President David Granger in May 2016 by Professor Harold Lutchman, Chair of the Commission. The report was also circulated to Members of the National Assembly for debate and consideration. There was no debate following disagreement between the Government and Opposition on referring the report to a select committee of the National Assembly.

What is the status of the recommendations of the Report? The recommendations include (1): The enactment of a Public Service Law with related regulations and a code of conduct to create and develop a professional and politically neutral Public Service, with high integrity for effective management and administration.

(2): The Public Service Commission (PSC) being constituted always with suitably qualified persons of high integrity, to be fair and impartial in the execution of their duties, in line with the constitutional prescription that they exercise independent judgement and not be influenced by political and other external considerations and influences.

Clearly, the authorities should not appoint to the Commission members who have any conflict of interest. The National Assembly and the Executive would have been negligent in the appointment of some members of the current Commission.

(3): The Constitution and other laws should be appropriately amended to empower the Public Service Commission to appoint Permanent Secretaries and Regional Executive Officers, to remove direct political appointments to Public Service positions.

(4): All appointments to Public Service positions should be by open internal and external competitions, to obtain and select the best suitably qualified persons from the job market, based on merit and free from political influences.

(5): Contract employment of low-level and general staff in the Public Service should end. However, contract employment in the Public Service should be restricted to high-level, professional, scarce skills not available in the Public Service, and for project work. No public servant who retires from the Public Service before attaining 65 years should be employed on contract,

(6): There should be higher retirement ages of 60 and 65 for public servants, with corresponding higher Public Service pensions and NIS pensions.

(7): There should be a high level representative committee to identify, on the basis of merit, candidates to be awarded fellowships and scholarships.

(8): With the involvement of the GPSU, the Public Service compensation system should be reviewed and redesigned within the graded salary structure, but not in conflict with their collective bargaining negotiations, and taking into account pay for performance based on a merit system.

(9): The resumption of collective bargaining in good-faith encounters at negotiations and conciliation/mediation. Failure at these levels to resolve issues in dispute requires reference to a mutually agreed arbitration tribunal, in keeping with the existing procedures or as recommended in the CoI to the National Assembly, based on the recommendations of a Salaries Review Commission for final determination.

(10): A Salary and Remuneration Commission be established to make recommendations to the National Assembly on remuneration for high level political and Public Service offices, including those of the President, Vice-Presidents, Prime Minister, Ministers, Leader of the Opposition, Members of the National Assembly, Permanent Secretaries, Regional Executive Officers, and Regional Chairpersons.

(11): The Public Service Appellate Tribunal should be appointed to adjudicate on disputes with the Public Service Commission.

(12): The Public Service Ministry/ Department and the Public Service Commission should be constituted with professional personnel with high integrity, to rebuild trust and confidence in the Public Service.

The above recommendations are essential for good governance and management of the Public Service, fair employment practices, and developing a professional Public Service to serve the national community fairly. These recommendations speak to removing conflict of interest at professional and political levels; setting the procedure for finality of public negotiations, and having the National Assembly setting the remuneration of those in the governing authorities. Implementation of these and other recommendations would rebuild confidence and trust in our country for the good of all.I invite public response and debate on these recommendations of the CoI in the Public Service.

Yours faithfully,

Joshua Singh