The Public Service Commission Reports to Parliament on
the Management of leave and remunerated overtime in the
Public Service
09 November 1999
The Public Service Commission presented two reports to the
Portfolio Committee on Public Service and Administration on
Tuesday 9 November 1999.
The reports convey the findings of investigations conducted
by the Commission into how effectively leave and remunerated
overtime are managed in the Public Service, respectively.
During these investigations a sample of eight national
departments was utilised. Both investigations were prompted
by the significant financial implications that these
conditions of service have for the State as employer.
An important aspect that came to the fore during the
investigation into the management of leave is the important
role that individual play in ensuring effective leave
management. However, problem areas identified through the
investigation into the management of leave in the Public
Service include the following:
- Not all officials are sufficiently informed of the
prescripts relating to leave.
- Not all departments have procedure manuals and other
guidelines in place to assist managers in giving effect
to their role in respect of the management of leave.
- Certain departments experience logistical problems
with the recording of leave.
- Regional offices of certain departments do not have
the necessary capacity to deal with the recording of
leave.
- Difficulties are being experienced with the
calculation of leave gratuities of officials of former
homelands and self-governing territories due to
incomplete leave records.
- There are insufficient control measures in place in
departments to monitor absenteeism and to ensure that
all leave is recorded.
- Mistakes were identified on the leave records of
departments.
- Leave accrual is excessively high in the Public
Service. The State's total liability in respect of
accrued leave amounted to R11,6 billion on 30 September
1998. More than 500 thousand public servants have more
than 50 days leave to their credit. .
- Managers must cope with various forms of unethical
conduct by their subordinates relating to the abuse of
leave provisions.
- Problems identified in respect of the management of
remunerated overtime were:
- The financial implications attached to remunerated
overtime have increased dramatically since the 1996/97
financial year. In the 1997/98 financial year R986
million was spent in the Public Service on remunerated
overtime.
- Income generated through overtime is seen by certain
public servants as part of their salary packages.
- Very few departments strategise on how the reasons
for the performance of overtime can be eliminated.
- Managers are not provided with training and guidance
on their responsibilities in respect of the management
of remunerated overtime.
- The prescripts regulating overtime are not provided
to all managers.
- The levels of supervision during the performance of
overtime were in certain cases found to be inadequate.
- There seems to be inconsistencies in certain
departments in determining which components should
receive remuneration for overtime.
- At one component it was alleged that the need for
overtime is sometimes dictated by the need of personnel
for additional income
- Time off as an alternative form of compensation for
overtime is not used frequently enough.
Proposals are made in both reports on how the management
of these conditions of service can be improved in the Public
Service. It is the intention to distribute both reports to
all departments and provincial administrations after it has
been tabled in Parliament.
The Public Service Commission only became operative on 1
July 1999. The tabling of these reports in Parliament, and
especially the advice contained in them to departments and
provincial administrations, should be therefore be seen as
indicative of the Public Service Commission's commitment to
fulfill its Constitutional mandate.
Contact : Mzwandile Msoki: 082-490 5032
Yvonne Mannee Mogadime
Public Service Commission
P/Bag X121
Pretoria
0001
Tel: +27-(0)12-352 1196/7
Mobile: +27-(0)82 448 2385
Fax: +27-(0)325 8382
E-Mail : mogadimeymm@opsc.pwv.gov.za
Issued by the Public Service Commission
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