The Public Service Association (PSA) has demanded that the Public Service Commissioners (PSC) resign from their appointments because of the following main reasons

1. They are not independent from the Prime Minister and the Cabinet;

2. They have deprived Civil Servants of their benefits through overtime, higher duty payments and increments and this has been applied with discrimination;

3. They implemented the redundancy scheme badly last year, in particular the teachers which adversely affected many schools and the remaining teachers; and

4. They lied about the permanency of the 60%, 70% and 80% pay scales established through the MOU with Government.

To add to the above grievances the PSA is unhappy with actions against them for their political activities and strong criticism of the PSC, Prime Minister and Cabinet. They also claim that repeated efforts have been made to talk to the PSC but they have been denied any opportunity. The PSA has also threatened and is now calling on their members to withdraw their business from the commercial organisations the Commissioners work for, namely Westpac Bank of Tonga, Tonga Communications Corporation and Pacific Finance and its subsidiaries.

The Minister for Public Enterprises as a member of Cabinet wishes to advise that the Government of Tonga (i.e Prime Minister and Cabinet in its capacity as appointing authority of the Public Service Commissioners) reaffirmed today that the appointment of the Commissioners is legal and binding and it is continuing. Although the PSC and the Commissioners are independent in the performance of their duties but they are accountable by law to the Prime Minister and Cabinet.

The statutory role of the Commissioners of the Public Service Commission has been discharged with appropriate authority, independence from Cabinet, and to the satisfaction of the Government of Tonga. The Boards of the companies from which the Commissioners come from in the private sector continue to support them in their role as Commissioners and with the ongoing support of the Government of Tonga, the Commissioners have each confirmed that they will continue in their statutory roles.

Government has reviewed the PSA's allegations against the Commissioners (referred to above which have been highly publicized) and found that these are basically without foundation. This has compelled the Government to make this response in an effort to ensure that the public are not misled by the allegations made by the PSA. Contrary to what the PSA says, the Public Service Commission has made a number of attempts to discuss the PSA's concern (before and after the PSA's demands for the Commissioners to resign) and it is unfortunate that the PSA has not responded positively to these attempts.

The impact of the redundancy on the schools, teachers and students cannot be blamed on the Commissioners. It is unfortunate that some undesirable effects arose but that is to be expected where voluntary redundancy takes place and those who wish to exercise their rights cannot be persuaded to change their minds. Efforts are being made by the Ministry of Education, Ministry of Finance and the Commissioners to address the problems satisfactorily. It is taking some time but the remaining issues are being remedied now.

The temporary stoppage of overtime, higher duty allowance and increments had to be done to allow Government to be able to pay the back pay on the 60%, 70% and 80% pay rise, the redundancy payments and maintain the payment of the increased salaries and the continuance of Government Services. Where possible the overtime in some essential services had to be paid. As from July 2007 things will be back to normal with overtime worked only when necessary, and higher duty payments and increments will depend on performance.

The salary issues which have been the primary concern of the PSA (in particular the continuation of the 60/70/80% salary increase in 2005) have now been addressed by Government based on recommendations of the Commissioners. The reference in the Cabinet Decision to a review in the second half of 2008 is to see if performance based salaries can be implemented and this could mean a possible increase. More importantly the Commissioners will ensure the PSA is consulted and adequate consultations take place before, during and after the review. Surely, the PSA will not be against this if it means improvement and a salary rise.

The public should be aware that public servants are governed by a code of conduct that prohibits any action of public servants that bring disrepute to their responsibilities to Government, or the misuse of public resources. These regulations cover all public servants and are intended to prescribe the appropriate manner in which public servants are to conduct themselves (without loss of liberty or constitutional rights) in order to discharge their responsibility to the public in an effective manner. The politicising of the public service is not only a breach of the public service code of conduct but also a disservice to political reform. How can a government now and in the future trust the public service if when they are dissatisfied with Government policy or issue they try to remove the Government. Instead of being the backbone of the executive branch of Government they become pawnbrokers for politicians. There are channels for addressing grievances in the public service and those channels should be used.

The Minister for Public Enterprises will be ready to meet with the Executive Committee of the PSA and discuss their concerns if this can bridge the relationship between the PSA and Government. Ministry of Public Enterprises, 06/07/07.