Tongan PSA queries cabinet move to reduce public service [1]
Tuesday, February 21, 2006 - 13:48. Updated on Wednesday, September 17, 2014 - 15:22.
A move by government this month to drastically reduce the size of Tonga's Public Service is being challenged by Tonga's Public Service Association who claim that it may breach last year's strike end agreement.
The executives of the Tonga Public Service Association (PSA) were to meet Tonga's Secretary for Finance, 'Aisake Eke this morning to hear the details of the Cabinet's decisions on February 3, which will result in a drastic reduction in the size of the public service.
Dr 'Aivi Puloka, the president of PSA, wrote to the Minister of Finance, Hon. Siosiua 'Utoikamanu, on February 16, pointing out that the cabinet decisions to implement a reduction of the size of the public service breach the Memorandum of Understanding signed between Cabinet and the PSA on September 3, 2005 to end the national strike.
She invited a government representative to attend a PSA Executive Board meeting yesterday, February 20, at 5pm, "to explain to us the background on the Cabinet Decisions..."
Explain decisions
The secretary for Finance 'Aisake Eke, who was informed about mid-afternoon yesterday to attend the meeting and represent government, said that it was too late because he had other scheduled appointments, but he agreed to meet them this morning.
"The Cabinet decisions will be implemented, our meeting is just to explain the decisions, a task that each Head of Department in each Ministries would do," said 'Aisake.
The measures that were approved by Cabinet on February 3 which PSA believed breached the MOU were for:
- All new appointments to be deferred and all vacant posts shall be frozen
- All incremental awards be deferred
- All acting appointments shall cease until further review
- All overtime payments shall be reviewed with a view to impose the substitution on non-monetary payments
- That government retirement policy will be set at 60 years of age, and be required to submit a report to Cabinet on implementation issues such as effective date, estimated cost, and related issues by February 8, 2006.
-That the Redundancy task force comprise representatives from the Public Service Commission, Ministry of Finance, supported by a Legal adviser, a Mercer consultant, and co-opted members as may be needed from civil service representatives and change management experts.