Feb 04 - GSD Says Government Clampdown On Overtime “Undermines Integrity” Of Civil Service Managers
The GSD says that it has been at the forefront of calls for prudent management of Gibraltar’s public finances. However, the party also holds that, although most fair-minded people in Gibraltar will agree that the overtime system should not be abused, the implication that Heads of Departments and Civil Service managers are unable to properly supervise and control the use of overtime budgets, “undermines their integrity and is wrong.”
A statement continued: “They should not be made scapegoat for runaway Government spending and overspending across many areas. The problem is not overtime within the Public Service, the problem is proper management of spending by this Government across the board.
“The GSD would like to know whether Government has also considered cutting back the use of its luxury fleet of cars, Airport VIP Lounges which the Chief Minister criticised when used by his predecessor, entertainment expenses and other non-essential Ministerial expenses. The recent £6.5m extension and renovation of Number 6 Convent place came out at £2 million more than the Chief Minister told Parliament it would cost a couple of years ago!”
Opposition MP Lawrence Llamas said: “With E-Government still a distant reality, we trust this will not slow down the invaluable service provided by the Public Sector nor create negative stigma for the civil servants. The prudent way to tackle abuse is by confronting it directly and taking actions against those officers responsible. In effect Government has taken indirect action against the entire Civil Service and the people it serves for Government’s own overspending over the last four years”.
{fcomment}
