Dear Editor,
Coming upon the insistent annual increases given by governments over the last two decades or more it seems certain now that the basic principles of compensation management are totally ignored, if at all known so far as the Public Service is concerned.
Somehow the Parliamentarians go through annually the charade of approving salary scales, albeit without debate, in the process admitting how under-informed they are about the objective and the implications.
The situation is such that even the employees are unaware of the exercise of ‘Performance Evaluation’ which provides for their being individually assessed with a view to earning an increase within the related salary scale, so that after years of performance in the same position/grade a newcomer to that position arrives at the same salary, which if in fact known, can be most demotivating to the elder.
As it turns out however ‘Public Servants’ opt to be ‘Contracted Employees’ who benefit from gratuity of 22.5% of salary every six months. What a difference from waiting for a pension!
These indulgences indicate clearly the indifference shown towards those who are loosely described as ‘Human Resources’. There seems to be little or no appreciation that they are indeed ‘human beings’.
Yours faithfully,
E. B. John
