The Public Service Commission (PSC) has conducted a series of studies looking at the state of Human Resource Management within the Public Service. A case in point is the PSC’s Report on the Assessment of the State of Human Resource Management in the Public Service which was published in June 2010.
This report contained a number of findings and recommendations. One of the recommendations that came out in the report pointed out to the fact that the human resource organisational strategy and planning in the Public Service was still at its infancy stage. Furthermore, the findings of the report also indicated that not much progress has been made in so far as the transformation of the Human Resource Management in in the Public Service is concerned.
In addition, the PSC produced two reports relating to the management of precautionary suspension and the management of grievances within the Public Service during the 2011 Financial Year. These reports, highlights the challenges faced by departments in managing the disciplinary and grievance processes. The Report on the management of precautionary suspension in the Public Service, specifically looks at the extraordinary long periods that employees are placed on precautionary suspension awaiting the finalisation of the disciplinary process and the cost to the state.
Furthermore, the PSC conducted capacity workshops on grievance management and discipline in the Public Service in November 2011. Through these workshops as well as interaction with departments, the PSC found that the level of knowledge of members of the senior management services on labour relations is inadequate and human resources broadly.
Furthermore, as a result of the hectic schedules of the Executive Authorities as well as competing interests within department on core functions and responsibilities, the implementation of the HR and labour related matters do not receive enough time at the highest levels within departments.
It is on the basis of the above that the PSC will be facilitating roundtable discussions with Top Management in departments with the view to discussing the findings of the above-mentioned PSC reports, listening to the challenges experienced by the top management and mapping a way forward for improvement in the execution of human resource and labour relations practices at highest level in the Public Service.
The PSC trusts that the roundtable discussions will go a long way in ensuring that the Public Service is efficient and effective. In addition, the discussions will contribute towards the identification of blockages hampering improved Human Resource Management, Discipline and Grievance Management processes in the Public Service, as well as the identification of solutions to unblock such hindrances.
The members of the media are invited to the roundtable discussions to be held as follows:
Date: 2 to 3 October 2012
Venue: St Georges Hotel, Irene
Time: 09h00 to 15h00
For enquiries, please contact:
Mr Humphrey Ramafoko
Director: Communication and Information Service
Tel: 012 352 1196
Cell: 082 782 1730
E-mail: humphreyr@opsc.gov.za
Mr Ricardo Mahlakanya
Deputy Director: External Communication
Tel: 012 352 1070
Cell: 079 769 7955
E-mail: RicardoM@opsc.gov.za
Public Service Commission conducts roundtable discussions on Human Resource Practices and the Management of Grievances and Discipline in the Public Service
