Social protection:
Remuneration

There are basically three different modes of determining civil service salaries. The first mode is through legislation based on the advice of the public administration agency, but this method has become less common. The second mode is through executive decision, which is often subject to advice from a body on which there is trade union involvement. The third mode is through collective bargaining, and this method is increasingly being utilized in the world despite the fact that international labour conventions, the Labour Relations (Public Service) Convention, 1978 (No. 151) and the Collective Bargaining Convention, 1981 (No. 154) have been ratified only by 44 and 38 ILO member States respectively as of January 2008.

While governments are under the pressure to reduce the total wage bill in the public service against the backdrop of growing public deficits or other fiscal pressures, they also have the responsibility to promote equitable employment practices and to ensure that the public service can attract and retain the caliber of staff it requires. Many countries are in the process of changing the rules governing pay structures and wage determination. Different approaches to pay reforms may be observed in different countries.

Useful links/resources

• Statistical data on wage rates in the public sector may be found in the ILO LABORSTA database
  ILO October Inquiry: Wages and Hours of Work in 159 Occupations