The government committee on reform of the Civil Service, the Dayan-Locker committee, presented its recommendations yesterday. They include abolition of automatic tenure, a change in the method of compensation, change in the way employees are recruited, and limits on the length of service of senior officials.
Implementation of the recommendations is liable to encounter difficulties. They will shortly voted upon by the government, following which there is to be dialogue with the Histadrut (General Federation of Labor in Israel).
The main recommendation concerns change in the conditions for receiving tenure, and abolition of automatic tenure after two years. The committee recommends extending the probation period to five years, and, among employees who last this period, only those who receive evaluations higher than the median for the ministry will receive tenure. Those who fail to receive tenure will be summoned to a pre-dismissal hearing.
Another important recommendation concerns compensation, which will be awarded according to quality of work, and not automatically according to length of service. Employees will be evaluated in relation to goals set by policy makers within the ministry. Promotion, salary, and rights to training will be dependent on a positive evaluation.
On recruitment, internal recruitment within ministries will be abolished, to be replaced by inter-ministerial recruitment and external recruitment. In order to attract candidates for posts advertised externally, Civil Service Commission will publish the salary range and benefits that apply to the job in question.
The committee also recommends limiting length of service for senior officials, and introducing rotation. It recommends that holders of senior management posts will leave, either through rotation with someone in a similar position in another ministry or after a pre-determined extension, after eight years. The minimum period in a post will be four years, in order to provide some job security. The state will reserve the right to retain outstanding employees beyond the prescribed time, and will not terminate the employment of those in senior posts close to retirement age.
Histadrut chairman Ofer Eini told "Globes", "I know of the reform in the civil service only from what has been reported. Anything to do with workers' rights and consequences for the workers can only happen with the Histadrut's agreement."
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on June 27, 2013
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