I refer to the editorial ‘The power of incumbency’ (May 14).

It is thoroughly incorrect to say that the Principal Permanent Secretary “refused to provide” information “about the number of people on a definite work contract in the public sector whose engagement became indefinite just before the last election”.

From the onset, the Office of the Principal Permanent Secretary made it very clear it could not provide the information requested by the Times of Malta since the office does not collate the information in question. The Principal Permanent Secretary brought about a change in the system, which led public sector employees on a definite contract system to be at par with other employees in various sectors since their three-year probationary period was reduced to one, and not exceeding more than 12 months.

With this radical change, those on a definite contract will no longer be on tenterhooks, waiting for their appointment to be confirmed literally on the eve of an election, akin to what occurred in the run-up of the 2013 general election.

Apparently, the editorial tried to obfuscate this anti-discriminatory measure by bringing in the issue of recruitment in the public service.

Recruitment in the public service is surveilled by the Public Service Commission. This body, according to the Constitution, is appointed after the Prime Minister consults the leader of the Opposition. For the first time ever, since 2013, the party in Opposition was able to nominate two members on the commission even if the Constitution does not call for the proviso.

The editorial was not fair in the way it looked down on government employees, even more so since entry requirements for people to apply for government employment is regulated by more than 70 collective agreements. Every collective agreement delves on the entry requirement for each post, with many requiring the highest of academic qualifications.

The editorial was also factually incorrect when it alleged that Malta has one of the highest per capital ratio of civil servants in Europe. The table below says it all:

Public employment ratio (June 2018)

Year Share of total
2012 26.75
2013 26.53
2014 26.80
2015 25.71
2016 24.45
2017 23.89

Over the past few years, the increase in the public service was mainly due to the increase in the health and eduction sectors, which are essential both to the public service and the community.

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