The long awaited PRB Report has at last been published. For some it may be the best report but for others it could be the worst. It is all a matter of perception and how much increase in salary and benefits one has obtained. For the Chief Justice, Secretary to Cabinet, Senior Chief Executive, Permanent Secretary, Commissioner of Police and others, it may be the best report.

The Report is perceived to be innovative, I cannot agree more, it has created two categories of Civil Servants and Directors. There are Directors and Directors, Managers and Managers. The table below describes what I mean.

A comparison of the salaries of the various Directors namely Executive Directors, Managing Directors, Director?General and Managers vary from Rs. 60,000 to Rs. 80,0000. It seems from the above table that the salary increase depends on who is in post, otherwise, how does one explain that the General Manager, Outer Island Development Corporation gets Rs 66,0000 and that of Waste Management Authority gets Rs 80,0000?

In determining salary, one takes into account qualification, experience, nature of work, hours of work, level of decision-making, responsibility, risks associated with the job, demand and supply, internal and external relativity, etc. From the above table, it is clear that these criteria have not been applied.

The Director of PRB has during the programme presented on Radio Plus last Saturday 31 May 2008 stated that he considers someone who has studied a specific subject as a professional, for example, an education officer having a Postgraduate Certificate in Education.

From the International Labour Organisation?s definition and being a professional myself, a professional is someone who has to register with a Professional body after studying for a first degree and practicing after one or two years such as Doctors, Engineers, Architects. How can one explain that the Director of Architecture, Engineering at Ministry of Public Infrastructure earn Rs. 66,000 while the Director at Ministry of Education and Human Resources earn Rs. 75,000 and Director (Technical Services) Ministry of Public Utilities) earn Rs 80,000? The Director of PRB has to revisit his definition of professionals, Directors and Managers. The saying ?what?s in a name? seems to apply here.

The report prescribes performance rather that conformance. It is a fact that in the Civil Service one has to comply then complain. The buzzword of the day is to think out of the box, be creative, have critical analysis skills yet when one questions the rationale of some decisions, one is often told, ?I am the boss and do not question my decision?! How are we going to change from conformance to performance with such a paternalistic/autocratic culture?

As regards the introduction of a Performance Management System, it is stated that no increment shall be earned if he/she is unfavourably reported in ?Le Mauricien 31 May 2008?. Unfavourably reported upon, does this mean that if the officer is questioning a wrong decision, he will be unfavourably reported upon as he is being insubordinate?

?Increments? aux fonctionnaires dont la performance est ?beyond acceptable standards consistently for a period of one year and nine months? will get three increments in advance. How is this going to be measured? What is acceptable for one Head of Department may not be acceptable for another. The performance measures are very subjective. A bonus will be given for outstanding performance at a time when there is budgetary constraints. Will the PRB or Ministry pay all the officers if they are performing outstandingly? Will there be a certain amount of money earmarked for outstanding performance? What happens if the amount allocated is already spent and there are other officers who have performed well? Will the Director of PRB or the Ministry tell the officers to wait for the next financial year to be paid?

?Le PRB rappelle que la performance se fera sur la conduite, le comportement, l?efficience, la disponibilité et la régularité au travail.? These are very subjective measures, which are not acceptable anywhere in the world. These words smack of subjectivity and favouritism. What if one leaves far away, has transport problem, comes late to work for reasons beyond his control but still achieves the objectives set for the day, week, month, will he still be penalised? Why are the increments/salaries of Permanent Secretaries, senior Chief Executives and others not dependent on their performance. Are they more equal than others? Do they know everything or is it assumed that can?t be wrong and always perform well! What do the Trade Unions have to say regarding this?

Performance is measured with smart objectives, that is, specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, achievable and timely. By attending a few seminars abroad one does not become an expert in performance management!

What about the minor grades? Can these people be expected to be happy with an increase of Rs 1000 or Rs 2000. Is this fair? Mr Appana has created two categories of Civil Servants and yet we talk of Equal Opportunity!

The Director of PRB who is due to retire this year has been given a contract of one year to address Errors and Omissions. This begs the following question. Were these anomalies made deliberately so that he can argue his case for a contract? Will the Director of PRB enlighten us on these issues?

?Some are born great Some achieve greatness Some have greatness thrust upon them?

A Disgusted Civil Servant