Chairperson and secretary of the GPSSBC
President of Congress of South African trade Unions (COSATU)
Leader of the International Law Commission (ILC)
General Secretaries and general managers of public service trade unions
Honourable guests
Colleagues
Comrades
Ladies and gentleman
All protocols observed
Good evening
I feel extremely honoured to be part of your 10th anniversary celebrations, honoured because, like you, I report to a government that recognises the central role that public servants play in the entire scheme of partnerships that work.
Partnerships whose main aim is to fight poverty and under development in our communities.
Ten years is indeed a long time and the 10th year celebration of the GPSSBC is indeed an occasion worth celebrating. As the youngest of the four sectors, this sector has made tremendous strides to claim its rightful place amongst formidable counterparts in the arena of public service bargaining. When I was asked to deliver this address I immediately thought of our election manifesto which promises that “working together we can do more”.
In the Department of Public Service Administration this translates to improving governance and public administration systems so that these systems enhance efficacy, efficiency in the services government is expected to render to the electorate of this country. While perusing the strategic planning report I was struck by the fact that the GPSSBC has amended its vision to read as follows:
* “Delivering exceptional service to all we serve”
I was encouraged to know that the council has examined the role it plays in the public service and has adopted a vision that accords with government’s vision to protect the gains we have achieved thus far and to strive for further improvement in service delivery. In light of the above the immediate question that arises is what must the GPSSBC do in order for it to live up to the vision it has set itself?
If you will allow me programme director, I wish to focus on three areas which I believe are priority to attaining the goals council has set for itself. The first of these is good governance. In order to achieve and sustain good governance I wish to draw your attention to the values and principles on public administration enshrined in section 195 of the Constitution of our country.
You may well ask what relevance this section holds for council given the fact that it falls outside the realm of the public service. The constitution speaks amongst others of a high standard of professional ethics, efficient, economic and effective use of resources, providing services in an impartial, fair and equitable manner and being responsive to the needs of those you serve.
It reminds us of the importance of concepts such as accountability, transparency and accessibility, concepts that need to be put into practice if we are to be truly successful democrats. Last but not least it looks inward and reminds those vested with authority that an organisation is only good if it is good to those in its employ.
In this regard the constitution encourages maximising human potential through good human resource management and career development practices and advocating representivity which is based on ability, objectivity and fairness to fight the imbalances of the past. It is my view that any organisation, private or public, cannot do nothing else but succeed if it gives expression to these values and principles in its day to day operations.
Programme director, I wish to highlight the dispute prevention and resolution mechanisms. When I first examined the Public Service Coordinating Bargaining Council (PSCBC) annual reports I was concerned by the high level of disputes within this sector compared with the rest of the bargaining councils. I am led to believe by very able representatives within this sector that this is due to the varied application and interpretation of a great number of policies and prescripts within the many institutions covered by the scope of the GPSSBC.
While I accept that public service departments are vested with the requisite powers and functions to develop various policies and procedures, I am of the view that current practice does not lend itself to the efficient and effective governance I have alluded to above. To this end I believe that the council needs to give leadership and direction to the departments in its scope. This could take the form of sector frameworks and policies on transversal matters.
This not only provides uniformity in policy and approach but also generates more time for public servants to concentrate on implementing these policies and prescripts. Having raised my concern with the high rate of disputes in the sector I must hurry to add that I am impressed by the way in which the GPSSBC has used innovation to address the dispute challenges which it has to face.
By introducing an automated system it now boasts one of the most efficient case management systems. It has eradicated the huge backlogs and long waiting periods in the dispute resolution procedures and attained one of the key objectives espoused in the Labour Relations Act (LRA), namely speedy and cost effective dispute resolution processes for workers in the public service.
In doing so GP has set itself apart from other structures and embraced new ways of working. Last but perhaps most importantly, programme director, I wish to address myself to the matter of creating a beneficially collective bargaining environment. The challenge this young sector had to face was that unlike the other sectoral councils, whose scope defined it more or less automatically, the departments falling under the scope of the general public service shared in common with each other nothing more than that they did not qualify to fall under the scope of the other sectors.
In brief, it was designed as a “catch all”
From its daunting beginnings it has emerged as a giant in what is arguably the most complex sector within the public service. Comprising of 36 national departments and nine provinces with a combined count of 93 departments, its scope is as diverse as our rainbow nation. The number of different occupational safety dispensation agreements that required conclusion in this sector is indicative of its diversity.
Covering everyone from cleaners, finance and human resources to correctional officials and information technology specialists, not to mention providing the dispute resolution function for the senior management service; the GPSSBC has battled to create uniformity and unity of purpose. To have developed a coherent identity for such a council is indeed a noteworthy achievement.
Having observed the relationship between the parties to council I can confidently say that the council has indeed succeeded in creating a beneficial environment for collective bargaining. It is not an easy feat to find commonality and forge a strong partnership between parties with such divergent backgrounds and ideologies.
What is even more admirable is that this has been achieved without any party feeling that it has had to compromise its values and principles. To this end I wish to congratulate parties for the professionalism displayed and wish to encourage them to maintain this momentum.
To conclude this point I would be failing in my duty if I were to omit the issue of training and development of our negotiators. It is imperative that in this ever changing time in which we live, we not neglect the importance of continuous training. I have already requested Public Administration Leadership and Management Academy (PALAMA) to develop a programme for negotiators and urge you to engage academic and related institutions in this regard. By improving our skills base we enhance not only our performance but the quality of our products.
Ladies and gentlemen, before I sit down let me remind all present here today that we are in the middle of our 16 Days of Activism for No Violence Against Women and Children campaign. This is a campaign that started last Wednesday on the 25 November, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women and stretches until International Human Rights Day on 10 December. This period includes Universal Children’s Day and World AIDS Day. During this period we are called upon not to LOOK AWAY, but to ACT AGAINST ABUSE in all its forms, in the home, psychological violence in the workplace, including sexual harassment.
As we continue to fight abuse and violence, deepen democracy in a developmental state and address poverty, unemployment, disease and underdevelopment, we must continue to display the attributes of a caring nation. We must continue to create a nation that takes care of the poor, the elderly, children, women and people with disabilities. As government we can promote the values of the Constitution and create laws to protect citizens’ rights.
We have to provide more households with electricity and water, resources and introduce quality health care as well as comprehensive plans to fight HIV and AIDS, improve school infrastructure and put aside money for social grants. But for all these programmes to succeed we require public servants who serve the people with respect and efficiency, and active citizenship and a spirit of responsibility and volunteerism amongst all of us.
The success of all these measures depends on the cooperation and participation of all stakeholders, from the private sector to organised labour, from institutions of learning to the public servants who need to implement much of this work. It depends on the contribution that every community and every citizen makes in building a people’s contract to build a better life for all South Africans.
As we go into 2010, we must continue to do everything possible to push back the frontiers of poverty and expand access to a better life for all, and to realise the people centred progress we have to achieve. Soon we will be celebrating the end of 2009 and welcome 2010 with a big bang. The year 2010 will usher in difficult engagement between government and labour. We need ongoing debate to accelerate service delivery improvement.
We introduced the debate of the single public service which has not been concluded, after external consultation and engagement the debate will be sent back to parliament. There is a need to engage on whether it should be a single public service or an integrated public service, let’s be ready for this debate.
We are likely to start 2010 in the same economic situation, which will make life difficult for labour councils but also make life difficult for us all. The personnel expenditure framework review will be carried out in 2010. We need labour to be more involved in the process. We need to move away from labour having policy imposed on them but for them to be stakeholders who soil their hands in debate to ensure effective policy.
Ladies and gentlemen, thank you very much for your kind attention. Congratulations on the GPSSBC attainment of your 10th anniversary. May you continue to grow and prosper.
I thank you.
Issued by: Department of Public Service Administration
3 December 2009
