A draft of the Public Service Bill, outlining the parameters of the powers and duties of civil servants, is being circulated to sound trade unions. The latter’s response has been positive so far. “The publication of the bill shows that the government has the will to discuss with unions before it is introduced in Parliament,” declared the president of the Fédération des syndicats du service civil (FSSC), Tulsiraj Benydin.

The bill will include a code of conduct for civil servants. It points out that they should remain apolitical and serve the interests of the government of the day and the whole population. The civil service should become the “executive arm of the government”. The bill should also promote the values and qualities of the public service. It should help to set up a legal and institutional framework to manage the civil service.

It will define the powers, functions and responsibilities of supervising officers and define the duties of civil servants. This code of conduct for civil servants will also state the powers and duties of advisers. A Pay Research Agency is included in the bill.

The public service bill also aims at protecting civil servants’ rights. No one will have the right to dismiss, sack or downgrade employees unless the latter are subject to disciplinary measures and legal procedures.

Ministers have not been left aside; the bill insists that their political affiliation should not encroach on their status as minister. They will have no right to use the State’s resources for party political purposes. With the beginning of the campaign for municipal elections, ministers should already start applying such good intentions…