Fully fledged public servants get inducted

Caption: Inducted public servants pose for a group photo.

By MATTHEW VARI

Wednesday, July 16, 2014 (Midweek Chronicle, PNG)

THE public service in the country got 16 additional members officially inducted last week after an all round one week course conducted to familiarize the workers from the Department of Transport on their duties and conduct as servants of the State.

Facilitated by the department’s Human Resource Development branch- the workers were taken from various divisions within the organization and put through the paces on particulars in the Public Service Management Act, ethical conduct, and of the entitlement rights within the system. 

Assistant Secretary Personnel HR (Human Resource) for the Department of Transport, Chris Raphael reiterated that as the biggest employer being the state it was a requirement that all workers employed by state agencies be inducted through the course.

“It is a requirement that all officers recruited into the public service to be inducted into the public service in terms of understanding the public service management act, in terms of understanding the general service orders, which is the guideline to how we operate within the public service,” Mr Raphael said.

“The certificate they receive in the induction will allow them to put together with order documentations as part of the requirement for permanent status as a servant of the state.”

“They are bound by the code of ethics and protocols so that they live and operate within all the public service legislations and regulations and other forms of circulars that come to us from the Department of Personnel Management.”

He said the course prepares them from temporary or probationary officers after 6 months, and by the 12 month of employment the Secretary is empowered to induct them to be permanent officers.

Raphael added that after being certified public servant- each inductee would be required also to reapply for their current positions in their respective agencies.

“Immediately after they finish-they are coming back and reapplying for their current positions to be permanent officers,” he said.

“The course has been facilitated through the departments Human Resource Development through the office of the Assistant Secretary Personnel HR, in partnership with the Institute of Public Administration who are the government recognized institution that runs all government training.”

He added that other officers would go through the same process pending funding availability.

“The next batch of officers will go through the same process pending funding- but we would like to complete everyone as much as possible but the efforts depend entirely on internal funding.”