Record number of disciplinary cases in public service

Half-pay for suspended government employees pending criminal charges are ‘a burden on the public purse’ – Public Service Commission.

19 August 2012, 12:00am
by James Debono

1 min read

Public Service Commission annual report reveals increase in disciplinary cases being treated by government departments

2011 produced the highest number of disciplinary cases treated by heads of government departments since 2006, the Public Service Commission’s latest annual report has shown.

These figures suggest a possible reversal of the trend in the diminishing number of disciplinary cases that had occurred after the year 2000, when authority to take disciplinary proceedings was delegated to heads of department, the Public Service Commission annual report states.

The involvement of former public officers in the disciplinary process would reduce the considerable inroads that this process made on the time of serving officers, while enabling disciplinary procedures to be concluded more quickly.

According to the PSC suspension on half salary is a precautionary measure taken in the public interest where it is felt that officers should not be present at their place of work on account of the seriousness of the charges against them.

But such cases represent a burden on the public purse in that the interdicted officers continue to be paid half their salaries, although they are suspended from work and not delivering a service.

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James Debono is MaltaToday's chief reporter on environment, planning and land use issues, ...

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..... disciplinary cases treated by heads of government departments.... I wish to know how many disciplinary cases are there against Heads of Departments in the Civil Service concerning abuses such as “Abuse of Power”, “Harassment” and “Bullying” ? How many of these were “Promoted to Higher Ranks”, “given another extension on their three year contracts to complete the six year period needed to be included in the highest Salary Scale possible” How many of these cases were politically motivated? And why certain cases were brought to the attension of higher Authorities “cases like mismanagement, abuse of power, conflicts of interest and haresment and nothing was done about them?