Govt plans downsizing manpower in admin

The government plans to outsource lower-grade jobs and make the position of assistant officers, who should have a minimum graduation and computer literacy, the lowest rank in civil service.
The draft of the civil service act 2010 proposes that general services should be outsourced to the private sector by putting on hold the recruitment in supportive or service-oriented positions on the government payroll to build a ‘knowledge- and technology-based administration.’
The draft proposed the government should not make any direct recruitment in the posts of Class III and IV so that such positions could be gradually phased out, said an official.
It said the government would source guards, sweepers, cleaners, gardeners, electricians, photocopy machine operators, lift operators and others meant for such general services from the private sector.
The draft prepared by the establishment ministry also suggests restructuring the administrative setup by downsizing the ministry’s organogram.
The number of civil service job grades should be reduced to 15 from the existing 20, according the proposal.
‘The government must consult with politicians of different camps, professionals and civil society actors on the issue as such a decision would create resentment in lower level employees,’ former adviser to the caretaker government Dhiraj Kumar Nath said.
In most countries, the government does not have lower-grade employees on its payroll but the scenario in Bangladesh is different, he said.
‘The government must keep in view the social impact of outsourcing lower-grade jobs as unemployment is a big problem here,’ Dhiraj, also a retried secretary, told New Age on Saturday.
The draft law is aimed at regulating appointment, promotion, transfer and other terms of the public service.
‘The establishment ministry has prepared a draft civil service act 2010 with the help of experts. A similar draft was earlier made during the interim government of Fakhruddin Ahmed… We are now examining the drafts to put it into the final form,’ a senior official concerned told New Age on Saturday. He, however, refused to give details for now.
The official, however, indicated that the organogram of the ministries and other offices might be downsized.
He hoped the law would help to ‘make bureaucracy service-oriented and free of politicisation.’
‘Seminars or workshops, or both, will be organised soon to discuss the draft law before its placement to the secretary-level committee on administrative development affairs,’ the official said.
‘The law draft is expected to be completed in May,’ the LGRD and cooperatives minister, Syed Ashraful Islam, told the parliament in January.
Earlier in 2008, the interim government decided to outsource the lower-grade jobs and phase out direct appointment in Class III and IV positions to bring more discipline in government offices and expedite administrative functions.
The finance ministry accordingly drafted the policy on ‘Services through Outsourcing 2008’ and sent it to the establishment ministry.
Lower-level employees make up for about 8.5 lakh of the estimated 12.5 lakh officials and employees on the government payroll, according to officials.

Courtesy of NewAgebd