PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT IN PUBLIC SERVICE (Improvement of quality)

Encik Mansor Haji Sukaimi asked the Minister for Finance what specific steps have been taken to improve the quality of personnel management so as to bring about better teamwork, higher productivity and more harmonious relations in Government Departments, Ministries and Statutory Boards.

The Minister for Finance (Mr Hon Sui Sen): Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, in March this year I said, in answer to a question from the Member for Mountbatten, that the general morale of workers in the Civil Service was excellent. There is no reason to believe that morale has deteriorated or needs special attention.

While my Ministry, in conjunction with the PSC, has the overall responsibility for the Civil Service, all Ministries are responsible for the day-to-day management and well-being of their staff. They must motivate their staff to maximize productivity. To help them do this job better, my Ministry is studying a suggestion for creating a separate Personnel Officers Service. The intention is to build up a core of career personnel administrators who can give full-time attention to personnel matters. They would then be posted to Ministries and larger departments to work very much like Personnel Managers and Personnel Officers in companies. The Budget Division of my Ministry would provide the coordination and leadership to these career personnel administrators who in turn would provide useful feedback to the Division.

My Ministry is also considering a proposal, in accordance with recommendations by the Committee on Productivity, that a Productivity Working Committee be formed to initiate and oversee the implementation of management practices that will promote productivity. Such a Committee would be chaired by the Permanent Secretary of the Budget Division. It would include representatives from other Ministries, besides representatives from the Public Service Commission, Management Services Department, and the Civil Service Institute.

Encik Mansor Haji Sukaimi: Sir, in thanking the Hon. Minister for informing the House that the morale of the workers in the Civil Service is very high and also about the Personnel Officers Service, could the Minister state what will be the role of the trade unions in the Government departments and statutory boards, in this effort to further improve the industrial relations and personnel system in the Civil Service and in the statutory boards?.

Mr Hon Sui Sen: Sir, these Personnel Officers will conduct themselves like personnel officers in companies in the private sector. That means they will have relations with the trade unions on a day-to-day basis, if necessary, and will consult them in all matters, be it matters relating to day-to-day work or improvements in productivity.