What the President of the Republic said at the 60th Congress of PASYDY on Tuesday
Photos from KYPE
The restoration of the shift allowance and overtime compensation gradually from 2024, with completion in 2025, was announced by the President of the Republic, Nikos Christodoulidis, at the 60th Congress of PASYDY on Tuesday.
During his speech at the conference, the President announced that, following discussions between the PASYDY leadership and the Ministry of Finance that have been concluded positively, the rehabilitation for both shifts and overtime will start from 2024 and will be completed in 2025.
With the aim of evolving the Civil Service “into a more flexible, more efficient and more effective mechanism”, which will modernize the way public administration operates, utilize modern technology, evaluate and reward employees based on objective and measurable criteria, the President stated that the reforms include the introduction of a new system of evaluation of the performance of civil servants, with a differentiation of the evaluation scale for employees below Salary Scale A13, while at the same time, a new category of “Interdepartmental Promotion” positions is introduced, which includes the scientific/professional positions of the Public Service at Scale A13, with the aim of enhancing the mobility of employees and utilizing the talents of Public Service officials in the best possible way.
He also noted that a new candidate selection framework will be introduced by the EDH, with the ultimate goal of ensuring the selection of the most suitable candidates and the effective application of the basic principles of objectivity and meritocracy, through the establishment of Evaluation Centers.
An equally important reform, said the President of the Republic, is digital transformation and electronic governance. “The digital transformation of our country concerns both the relations and transactions of the state with the citizen but also the business in general and for this purpose we are promoting a number of specific actions”, he said, adding that with the strengthening of electronic governance, the necessary tools will be provided and public servants, so as to increase their productivity and improve the services provided to citizens.
The establishment of new Deputy Ministries is also moving in the same direction, he said, which will contribute to improving the administrative function and addressing chronic issues in targeted areas of interest, such as, for example, the Deputy Ministry of Immigration and Asylum, which is in the final stage.
President Christodoulidis also recalled the vote to extend flexible hours, as well as the intention to approve flexible forms of work.
The President once again expressed his satisfaction with the agreement on the ATA, and called on the social partners to submit as soon as possible your proposals to the dialogue table to find the final agreement.
In addition, regarding the safeguarding of the Social Insurance Fund and the achievement of a dignified living for retirees, the President announced that he will proceed with the modernization of the Pension System framework, for the development of private funds, while he emphasized that it is important to ensure that the best practices are followed. practices regarding the management of Provident Funds and therefore will seek the establishment of a strong relevant Supervisory Mechanism.
He also emphasized that the tripartite “maintaining fiscal discipline, expanding the productive base of the economy and continuously promoting structural reforms” contributes to strengthening the competitiveness of the economy and strengthening the welfare state, noting that by faithfully observing fiscal discipline and through a human-centered approach, the aim is to promote a series of investments, targeted measures and reforms and to broaden the productive base of the economy by harnessing research, innovation and technology and human resources.
Referring to the national Recovery and Resilience Plan and the long-term development strategy “Vision 2035”, the President said that it included the reform of the justice sector, extensive subsidies to businesses for digital and green investments, increased subsidies to research and innovation, tax reform, worker upskilling programmes, better linking education and the labor market and improving the legal and institutional framework to fight corruption.
In relation to the Fit for 55 Package and the green transition, the President stated that it has become clear that the reduction of polluting emissions in 2030 is a major challenge for Cyprus and requires significant investment and transformation of almost the entire economy.
Referring to the sanctions, he noted that seriousness and proper handling are required to preserve the credibility of Cyprus as a business and investment center. “Preserving our credibility is a big stake for the Government, but also a personal goal for me and everything that is heard, slander, comments, reports about representatives of other governments do not touch me under any circumstances. The goal of moving forward and finishing once and for all with this matter is the highest priority of my Government”, he underlined.
Earlier, in his own speech, the General Secretary of PASYDY, Stratis Matthaiou, had mentioned that the reform of the public service is of primary importance for the guild, stressing that the change of the evaluation system was their constant request, which was implemented, expressing, however his reservations about the issue of interdepartmental promotion and the need for further consultation on the matter.
Taking stock of the past year, Mr. Matthaiou referred to the passing of the new Pension System for newly entered civil servants, the new transitional agreement for ATA, the extension of flexible hours and the improvement of the employment conditions of indefinite-term employees, for the which, he said, the issue of advancement is still pending.
Furthermore, he said that PASYDY has agreed with the Ministry of Finance in filing a bill to amend the provisions of the freezing law of the positions with which restrictions are placed on the process of filling the vacant positions of promotion and first appointment and promotion, while he also requested a faster promotion for low-paid civil servants.
The opening of the conference was announced by the President of PASYDY, Antonis Koutsoullis. In his greeting, he mentioned that the public sector played a leading role in milestones in the country's modern history, such as the entry of Cyprus into the EU, the successful conduct of the European presidency, the exit from the memorandums, the pandemic, etc.
He also expressed the will of PASYDY to work closely with the government for the continuous modernization and upgrading of the staff role and the administrative capacity of the public sector, in order to be able to effectively respond to the growing requirements, to improve the competitiveness of the country.
The President of the Parliament, the Attorney General, Ministers, Members of Parliament, representatives of other trade unions were also present at the conference, among which representatives of the Turkish Cypriot Trade Union Organization KTAMS and ADEDY, the Trade Union Organization of the Public Employees of Greece.
