Paulina Quintao – An absence of opportunities for promotion and the appointment of staff to roles unrelated to their qualifications has led to fragile administrative systems in state institutions, says Member of Parliament Antonio Bianco.
The Commission A (constitutional issues, justice, public administration, local authorities and anti-corruption) said there were a variety of factors which contributed to the fragility.
"There aren't enough staff, their placements aren't based on their areas of professional qualifications, there is no clear path for promotion and many staff are employed by political parties," he said.
He said in order to guarantee solid public administration it was necessary to create a clear promotional path for staff in order to encourage them to develop professionally. Bianco said staff sent overseas to study were often underutilized after their return.
Limited human resources management exacerbated the problem, he said, as the understaffed public service commission was tasked with recruitment and staff performance assessments.
Public Service Commission ex-president Liborio Pereira said some public servants lacked work ethic. He said all public employees needed to be aware of legislation setting out their professional responsibilities.
Pereira appealed to directors and chiefs of departments to raise awareness of these laws with their staff.
A human resources management group with a representative from each ministry met to discuss issues of salaries, recruitment and promotions, he said. Pereira suggested each ministry extend their annual training program.
One civil servant, who wished to remain anonymous, said despite regular performance assessments, pay raises were rarely awarded.
"Being a public servant is not good as the salary never increases," he said. "People have been working here for two or five years without any promotion."
He said the public service laws stipulated that public servants must be considered for promotion every two years.