The BBC reports that more than £612,000 has been paid out in salaries to 18 permanent staff who have been suspended from work in the civil service.
The information was given to the East Londonderry SDLP MLA John Dallat in response to a written question in the assembly. Mr Dallat said that on average, £34,015 has been spent on each suspended civil servant.
Unsurprisingly he says that money could be better spent.
Whilst I have not experienced such waste in my dealings with the public sector this does neatly illustrate some of the problems which public sector management has with staff.
These can include the following:
1 The terms are often too employee biased and it is often not just about the salary. When I negotiate on behalf of an employee in my capacity as a lawyer one of the first things I am looking at are the sickness terms and the discipinary terms. To what extent does this allow for the employee to remain off work and in full pay? Senior civil servants have enjoyed nice benefits.
2 Any form of discipinary action puts the onus on the employer to take action. The key for the employee(no matter how weak their case is) is to just stay in employment As a consequence,it is difficult for the employer to take action.
3 Some public Sector Staff have a morale problem and simply do not have the stomach or the training to take on errant employees.
4. Dispute Resolution Procedures are lacking. There is little use of mediation or other forms of ADR. What happens is a stand-off with both sides biding their time and the tax bill rising. The working relationship is in a zombie state.
5. The solution entails reforming contractual terms, negotiating effectively and using a blend of mediation and other techniques.
Justin Patten
Mediator