Civil Servants

[KukriKhan]

...Personally I think attacking civil servants terms and conditions isn't the way to go, funny that eh, the civil service has always been underpaid for the jobs we do and this was offset somewhat by having a slightly better pension and things like job security. Not to say that we don't have to become more efficient but I don't think 10% staff cuts per year consistently for the past 5 years is the way to do it, I would rather see a strategic look over the whole service with someone actually making a decision on what projects are needed and what ones are so horribly set up they should be scrapped and started again.

I agree with this. ^^

Even in the US, Congress sometimes decides to decrease the manpower of a Department, rather than examine, then approve/disapprove the missions given to the Dept. That's unnecessary meddling into resources I think, potentially crippling the agency's ability to perform its mandate.

Making seniority portable among government agncies would go a long ways to more manpower flexibility, IMO. As it is now (in the US), transferring from Treasury to Defense, despite being employed by the gov't for 20 years, involves starting at the bottom rung in the new agency's ladder (we're not talking Executive level jobs here, just career worker-bees), in terms of assigned tasks, leave bennies, weekly schedules, and those other day-to-day concerns that seem minor taken alone, but add up to a major reason why careerists "homestead", and then fight for their position - and leads to a percentage of older ones who have "retired, on active duty" - that the public sees and scorns.

[rory_20_uk]

I've a few friends in the Civil Service and related areas.

One on the Fast Track in the DoH (physics degree - go figure) was telling me a recent breakthrough where the DoH had started to cost items in the NHS. That's right - for years deals were struck with the Civil Servant who was negotiating had no idea what they service they were negotiating for was worth...

Another friend was seconded to the DoH for 1 year in the area of A&E. As she has a City background she asked when they were goin to visit some front line A&E departments to find out what was going on. Not only was this request refused, but her boss could not see the utility of attendig a department that they were overseeing and providing guidance for...

The Civil Service per capita is very large. Oh, I'm sure there's plenty of work to do - as a beaurocracy is there to produce work, not results. Canada about a decade showed that it can be radically cut without reducing the useful part, as the back office can just mushroom for ever. A bigger department = more kudos.

Promotions are usually on time served, not on ability or results. Status quo beats free thought. Failure means a further review rather than sorting anything out.

I'm so sick of it I'm off to the Private Sector for a break.