Civil Service Presses Ahead With Reform

As part of ongoing efforts to  reform  the country’s  civil service sector, the Civil Service Agency (CSA) with support from USAID and other partners  on Monday, August 6 held a one-day  workshop to  inform human resources managers of ministries and agencies of the reform measures to be shortly adopted.

According to the CSA, the objective of the workshop was to review the status of amendments and revisions to the Civil Service policies, processes and related systems that include CSA human resource policies manual, the Civil Service Standing Orders and the Civil Service performance management system.

The day-long gathering also afforded the participants the opportunity to get an update of key CSA initiatives like pay and pension reform and the Civil Service reform directorate and redirected workers program.

Discussions relating to new processes and systems including new hires and merit-based employment, the Biometrics system, the automated processing of Payroll Action Notice (PAN) through the HRMIS and the career management process and related training initiative were also covered.

In his opening  statement at  the program, the Director-General of the CSA, Dr. C. William Allen, said since the last workshop for HR professionals was held in March 2011 there have been very little new developments. He however pointed out that his agency has prepared an addenda to the Civil service Standing Orders which will be made public soon.

Dr. Allen further revealed that the HR policy manual for civil service is also in progress and that this includes the Civil Servant’s pledge and recent policies sent out in a circular to ministries and agencies as well as relevant forms in the appendices.

“We have also prepared the framework and policy for the performance Appraisal System that would be used across ministries and agencies which sets out the framework for managing the input of civil servants and there-by the general output of the institution” he averred. The CSA boss indicated that this measure would ensure that reward mechanisms are relevantly tied to outstanding performance and motivate employees to improve their job performance.

According to Dr. Allen, reform of the pay and grade system is on-going, where the 15 grade system has been reduced to ten grades with possibility for an increment based on satisfactory performance. He indicated that the collapsing of the salary with the allowance will be implemented in the 2013/2014 fiscal year as this will give the employee a larger pension at retirement because the benefits will be calculated from a higher pay. “The reform of the pension system is also in progress, where the pension will eventually become contributory, allowing the employee to receive the full amount contributed if he/she does not reach retirement tenure.