Joint Meeting on the Public Service, 1998

The Joint Meeting on Human Resource Development in the Public Service in the Context of Structural Adjustment and Transition was held at the International Labour Office in Geneva from 14 to 18 December 1998.

The Office issued a report to serve as a basis for the Meeting's deliberations.⁽¹⁾ It addressed the following topics: trends, concepts, and policies in public service reforms and in human resource development (HRD) in the public service, in public employment as well as trends in structural adjustment and transition and their impact on the public service in the various regions; ILO policies and activities related to the public service in structural adjustment and transition; training for the public service in countries undergoing structural adjustment and transition; the impact of working conditions; the impact of terms of employment; alternatives for retrenched workers; labour relations and their role in HRD.

The Governing Body had designated Mr. W. Brett, Worker member and Workers' Vice-Chairperson of the Governing Body, to represent it and chair the Meeting. The two Vice-Chairpersons elected by the Meeting were: Ms. J. Larose (Canada) from the Government group and Ms. A. Enriquez Geron from the Workers' group.

The Meeting was attended by Government representatives from Benin, Canada, China, Colombia, Cyprus, Egypt, El Salvador, Finland, Hungary, India, Republic of Korea, Panama, Philippines, Poland, Russian Federation, South Africa, Sweden, Thailand, Trinidad and Tobago, Zambia, Zimbabwe; and 28 Worker members. A representative of the Government of Congo was present at the sittings.

Representatives of the Arab Labour Organization, the World Bank and the World Health Organization were present at the Meeting.

Observers from the following non-governmental international organizations attended the Meeting: Confederación Latinoamericana de Trabajadores Estatales; European Confederation of Independent Trade Unions; General Confederation of Trade Unions; International Confederation of Free Trade Unions; International Confederation of Public Servants; International Council of Nurses; International Federation of Employees in the Public Service (INFEDOP); International Federation of Training and Development Organisations; International Federation of University Women; Public Services International; World Confederation of Labour.

The two groups elected their Officers as follows:

Government group

Chairperson:

Ms. O. Ramsingh (South Africa)

Vice-Chairperson:

Mr. C. H. Castro Cruz (Colombia)

Secretary:

Ms. I. Amin (Egypt)

Workers' group

Chairperson:

Ms. W. Caird

Vice-Chairpersons:

Ms. C. Gubitzer, Mr. S. Mazabane

Secretary:

Mr. H. Engelberts (Public Services International)

The Secretary-General of the Meeting was Mr. V. Klotz, Chief of the Salaried Employees and Professional Workers Branch. The Deputy Secretary-General was Mr. W. Ratteree, the Executive Secretary was Ms. G. Ullrich and the Experts were Ms. L. Wirth and Mr. J. Sendanyoye of the same Branch. The Clerk of the Meeting was Ms. T. Bezat-Powell of the Sectoral Activities Department.

In his opening address, the Chairperson pointed out that, unlike the vast majority of sectoral meetings, this Meeting was bipartite with equal representation of the Government and Workers' groups. The challenges of a globalized economy, structural adjustment and transition to market economies, as well as budgetary constraints, had led States, regions and industrial centres to compete with each other with a view to expanding -- or at least maintaining -- their economic capacity. Appropriate human resource development policies of the public service had to be considered an important element in this process. Besides the development of the private sector, public services and their human resources were at the heart of structural adjustment and transition processes taking place in most countries of the world. Public budgets had to be contained and at the same time services had to be made more efficient. Reducing the public service would, however, achieve little in terms of quality and effectiveness if attention was not paid to the training, motivation and working conditions of the persons it employed; social safety nets and sound labour relations in the public service were also vitally important. All these aspects were part of human resource development which went beyond education and training and included numerous elements which constituted the working environment of the public service. Only scanty analysis had been conducted in the past on how the various factors which contributed to successful human resource development were linked and interacted. But it was precisely the way in which these factors were integrated in the overall process of public service reform which determined the improvement of productivity and efficiency of the public service. Many public service trade unions were of the view, however, that policies of the past decade had often been presented as efficiency- and productivity-driven whereas in many cases they had been driven by ideology rather than based on pragmatic considerations. In implementing cost containment measures, public service personnel were fearful that their jobs were at risk which, potentially, made them victims of reform processes. This dilemma was aggravated in situations where the private labour market had difficulties in absorbing the redundant workforce from the public sector.

Mr. K. Tapiola, Deputy Director-General of the ILO, stressed that human resource development in the public service had to be discussed in the framework of the State's responsibility to foster economic growth and social cohesion. The State was an important partner in economic and social development and, therefore, the public service was vital to carrying out its responsibilities. To accomplish its growing obligations, the State had to change its institutional structures. He pointed out that this was a difficult challenge as demographic and economic change required costly and more advanced public services at a time when traditional bureaucratic regulations and structures were rightly or wrongly viewed as impediments to cost effectiveness and change. Governments were increasingly under public pressure to improve the quality and productivity of public services while containing costs and privatizing services. More and more, public authorities had to satisfy the demands of civil society and consumers for a greater say in the type and availability of public services, as well as their expectations of value for tax money. Because human resource development went beyond education and training, a wide range of interrelated issues had to be taken into account, namely working conditions, remuneration, terms of employment, labour relations and provision for redundancy. In relation to remuneration, the speaker pointed out that in recent years the deterioration in pay level and structures of the public service had become critical in a number of countries. On a number of occasions public service employees had not been paid or had to wait several months before being paid. Timely and adequate pay was a precondition for guaranteeing motivation, ethical standards, the workplace environment and culture as the framework for the development of human resources. This framework was further strengthened when dialogue took place between the social partners and international labour standards were observed. The ILO had, in various ways, supported social dialogue as a means of promoting human resource development in the public service. From 1971 to 1994 the Joint Committee on the Public Service examined general developments in the public service and a number of specific themes. In 1995, a joint meeting examined specifically the impact of structural adjustment on the public service and follow-up workshops were organized subsequently to promote social dialogue in the Caribbean and in the Transcaucasian regions. In conclusion, the ILO was convinced that employees of the public service played a vital role in the delivery of services and that negotiations and social dialogue could help in reform processes to create terms of employment and working conditions which were conducive to the delivery of such services.

1. ILO, Joint Meeting on Human Resource Development in the Public Service in the Context of Structural Adjustment and Transition, Geneva, 1998: Human resource development in the public service in the context of structural adjustment and transition, 79 pp.

Part 1
Consideration of the agenda item

Report of the discussion⁽¹⁾

Introduction

1. The Meeting met to examine the item on the agenda. In accordance with the provisions of article 7 of the Standing Orders for sectoral meetings, the officers presided in turn over the discussion.

2. The spokesperson for the Workers' group was Ms. Caird.

3. The Meeting held five sittings devoted to the discussion of its agenda item.

Composition of the Working Party

4. At its fifth plenary sitting, in accordance with the provisions of article 13, paragraph 2, of the Standing Orders, the Meeting set up a Working Party to draw up draft conclusions reflecting the views expressed in the course of the Meeting's discussion of the report. The Working Party, presided over by the Government Vice-Chairperson (Ms. Larose, Canada) was composed of the following members:

Government members:

Benin: Mr. Oni
Canada: Ms. Larose
Cyprus: Ms. Koutouroussi
El Salvador: Ms. Dominguez
India: Mr. Nimbalkar

Worker members:

Mr. Brown
Ms. Caird
Mr. Diaz
Mr. Howard
Ms. Opoi

Presentation of the report and general discussion

5. Introducing the report prepared by the Office, the Executive Secretary summarized the salient points of the chapters and points for discussion. Chapter 1 focused on trends, concepts and policies, reviewing development trends conditioning public service reforms, the concept of human resource development beyond training and education, public employment and the size of the public service and country experiences with the impact of structural adjustment and transition. Chapter 2 looked at ILO policies and activities related to the public service in structural adjustment and transition, including freedom of association standards, the work and results of previous ILO meetings on the public service, regional workshops in the Caribbean and Transcaucasian countries, research, advisory services and technical cooperation, and training activities of the ILO International Training Centre in Turin. Chapter 3 examined training for the public service as the principal element of human resource development (HRD), notably in the management of change, the various actors involved in training, and the particular conditions which characterized developing, transition and industrialized countries. Chapter 4 considered the impact of working conditions on HRD, encompassing changing work conditions, pay levels and structure, work organization and job rotation, changes in technology, safety and health conditions limiting HRD, the culture of the workplace and social recognition, decentralization, ethics and corruption. Chapter 5 analysed the impact of terms of employment issues such as legal and contractual status and equality of opportunity and treatment. Chapter 6 posed alternatives for retrenched workers including measures to mitigate negative employment effects, objectives of severance packages and group initiatives to deliver public service activities. Chapter 7 explored the role of labour relations in HRD, particularly in facilitating workers' participation in structural change, unionization and alliances with civil society, quality improvement and reduced costs, and gave examples of new employers and bargaining arrangements. Chapter 8 listed suggested points for discussion and for a framework of HRD guidelines in the context of structural adjustment and transition.

6. The Workers' spokesperson agreed with the foundation of the ILO report for the Meeting: it was crucial to have qualified, highly motivated and committed public service workers, a point already developed in the report submitted to the Joint Meeting on the Impact of Structural Adjustment in the Public Services (Efficiency, Quality Improvement and Working Conditions) (hereafter, JMPS 1995). Moreover, the agreed conclusions of the JMPS 1995 noted that reforms were most likely to succeed if they involved full participation of public service workers and their unions. These basic premises had been argued for years by workers and their unions who insisted that workers were "resources", not "human capital"; they were the key assets of governments, not a cost to be reduced. HRD and productive industrial relations were best achieved when based on the following set of best practices:

Workers' rights. The right to organize and be represented by independent trade unions. Several countries still prohibited public employees from organizing and bargaining collectively in violation of the Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organise Convention, 1948 (No. 87), and the Labour Relations Convention, 1978 (No. 151), or limited bargaining rights.
Workers and their trade unions as resources. Employers should treat workers as resources and empower them, since they were able to provide input on improved services and reducing waste through their unions in the form of negotiations. Productive discussions between governments and unions on improving service quality had to address not only wages and benefits, but all aspects of HRD, including training, technology introduction, severance packages, staffing levels, job descriptions and other working conditions.
Availability of resources. Successful HRD depended on a vast network of resources. First, it had to be a long-term proposition. Training, for example, had to be continuous over the duration of an employee's career and address a number of issues, including workers' empowerment for greater responsibility and flexibility. It also had to embrace ethics, including equal opportunity, responsibility and accountability, rendering public employees "stewards" of a certain culture. Second, compensation was an important issue. The ILO report noted that private employees were paid significantly more than their public sector counterparts. Adequate compensation underpinned governments' ability to recruit, employ and retain qualified staff. Underpaid public employees were undervalued, contributing to lower esteem and public employee "bashing" by citizens and public officials. On the other hand, high and constant turnover represented a direct cost in the form of recruiting and retraining new employees. Moreover, pay systems based on individual performance rewards were proving inadequate for the team-based ethos of the public sector. Third, innovative and flexible working arrangements to ensure better client service needed to be negotiated, not unilaterally imposed by governments. Among workplace issues, safe and healthy working conditions were vital to HRD, not secondary or tertiary questions, particularly concerning intangibles such as verbal harassment.

It was clear in the discussions on these issues that rather than being opposed to change, workers wanted and expected to be fully involved in the formulation and implementation of policies that affected their workplace. The Workers' group hoped that international organizations such as the ILO would develop policies that promoted the inclusion of trade union input to the formulation of human resource development and structural adjustment programmes, along the lines of the conclusions adopted by the JMPS 1995. Greater partnership would lead to new labour-management cooperation and hopefully, genuine reform. Exclusion of workers, treating them as impediments, would lead to worker opposition, with poor results.

7. The representative of the Government of South Africa expressed the appreciation of her Government for the informative and comprehensive report prepared by the ILO and the convocation of the timely meeting as the public service faced the challenge of restructuring under the pressures of globalization and liberalization. Developed and developing countries had embarked on a process of re-evaluation of roles of the State and the public service in response to the impact of global markets, competition and financial mobility, the increasing trend towards liberalization and political democratization, internationalization of communication and information technology, a critical economic situation in a number of developing countries, especially in Africa, and the impact of World Bank and IMF structural adjustment programmes. Several prominent trends and/or models had become discernable as a result:

a move away from centralized and corporate planning towards more pragmatic approaches based upon sound management, entrepreneurship, and a clearer sense of mission;
a redefinition of the role of the State, from that of the principal agent of social and economic development to one of guiding development towards more effective integration into the world economy;
reduced state expenditure and the size of the public service in favour of competitive subcontracting to the private sector, solely or in partnership with government;
greater administrative accountability through clearer lines of responsibility, use of performance targets, measures and monitoring, while promoting greater devolution of managerial autonomy and resource control, including the introduction of flexible staffing and recruitment practices, with the goal of increasing innovation and responsiveness to client needs rooted in a stronger service ethos;
increased emphasis on quality, efficiency and cost-effectiveness;
greater accent on HRD and participatory management styles which rewarded individual and team performance, notably through the use of appraisal and incentive systems;
improvements in financial planning and control systems, rendering budgetary systems more performance- and output-related;
enhanced reliance on information technology and computerized management information systems.

Caution and critical analysis were important in considering the applicability and incorporation of these trends/models in developing and transition economies. In some countries, cost reduction, privatization and contracting out of services had adversely impacted on service standards, staff employment conditions and levels, and had increased the marginalization of disadvantaged groups, as well as women and children. Reducing the wage bill to create a leaner public service should not be a mechanical cost-cutting exercise, but designed to release resources for productive investment in social development. To this end, lean public service strategies should be: well conceived, researched and planned; located within a development rather than merely budget-driven paradigm to ensure support from unions and other stakeholders, and developed in close cooperation with them; communicated effectively at all levels; designed and monitored effectively to avoid negative effects on staff morale, productivity, representativeness and provision of basic services. The Government of South Africa had chosen this developmental approach to public service restructuring. It also believed in the importance of restructuring's social dimension, social safety nets and retraining of workers for employability to avoid social instability.

8. The representative of the Government of China also made comments on the ILO report. He noted with dissatisfaction that the third paragraph on page 15 of the English version did not accurately reflect the reality in China regarding information on public employment and public service size. Structural adjustment reforms in China included reassignment of public service workers with the objective of increasing efficiency and of instituting new management systems for greater productivity. Major reforms could be considered macro reforms, such as the merger and reduction of the total number of ministries or state committees, and the strengthening of audit and supervisory bodies. For example, the Ministry of Labour and Social Security had been restructured to focus on labour market planning and employment promotion. Staff would be reduced by 50 per cent and redeployment completed within the next three years. Given the highly qualified and educated personnel, reassignments were undertaken with care. Some expert staff such as mine, energy and chemical specialists were now often assigned directly to enterprises or intermediate services to make use of their qualifications. Young staff were frequently retrained based on new skill requirements in areas such as legal affairs or auditing. Staff with highly specialized qualifications -- chief accountants or financial officers, or research staff -- were assigned to special tasks relevant to their skills. Personnel who were close to retirement received redundancy payments. The Chinese Government hoped that in future ILO reports would provide accurate and objective information.

9. The representative of the Government of Cyprus reported that her Government had designed and was implementing since 1996 a programme to "right-size" the public service, reducing the rate of increase in the cost of salaries of civil servants, improve organizational structure and procedures to increase productivity, efficiency and effectiveness, and create positive culture and attitudes necessary to facilitate the introducton of the required changes in the public service. Given the complexity of the issues involved, the Meeting would provide a forum for the exchange of different countries' experiences and she hoped it would generate flexible guidelines on human resource development for public service reform.

10. The representative of the Government of Panama stated that his country's Constitution laid down the basic policies on human resources. His Government was in the process of implementing administrative reforms, including better wages, intended to ensure improved services to the population of Panama. The Government document on those reforms, which he had brought to the Meeting, could supplement the ILO document and enrich the discussions. He looked forward to the exchange of information on other countries' experiences in public service reform.

11. The representative of the Government of Zambia congratulated the ILO on a well prepared working document, which gave clear guidelines on the areas to be covered. He noted that the restructuring of the public service was being undertaken in the context of structural adjustment programmes to reduce bloated public services and big government. He regretted that the major players in the adjustment exercise, the IMF and the World Bank, had directed their efforts towards economic and political objectives, neglecting to address the consequent social upheavals. Zambia's experience indicated that public service reform programmes had to be taken within the context of the development of the country and that training programmes had to aim at achieving job satisfaction as well as job creation. He underscored the importance of involving workers' representatives in all the programmes considered. It was equally important that those who recommended adjustments should also provide the resources to assist governments to establish sufficient safety nets, and training programmes to assist those being displaced to adjust and look to other areas for a career. The ILO should help in the development of appropriate training programmes to assist countries in managing change.

12. The representative of the Government of the Russian Federation considered the questions under discussion to be particularly significant to countries like his which were in transition from planned to market economies. The transition involved changes to state apparatus. The public sector had a pivotal role in the process. Radical changes were required in the ideology behind policy used to manage the public sector, involving changes in the way staff were recruited. In addition, it was important to take into account the real interests of all sectors within society and to ensure that changes were undertaken with general agreement. It was imperative to carry out the changes in a transparent manner so that everyone could understand what was going on and that the public understood what people in the public sector were doing. New management technology had to be introduced to make savings and to improve the quality of services. The functions carried out by public sector employees would shift the focus on creative analytical work. In order to reorganize the public sector during a period of transition, his Government looked forward to constructive cooperation with international organizations, especially as regards their previous work in this area in other countries. He therefore considered the Meeting to be particularly important. Noting two presidential decrees in the Russian Federation on the situation of the federal public service, he wished to correct the impression given on page 75 of the ILO report that in Central and Eastern Europe the idea of public service as such did not have a proper basis in law. The reform process in his country was in fact based on those two presidential decrees.

13. The representative of the Government of the Republic of Korea reported measures taken by his Government with regard to the public sector in response to the economic crisis in 1997. These measures had included efforts at productivity gains in the public sector, through the integration or abolition of some ministries and reductions in the workforce. Government efforts would now focus on improving public sector workers' professional performance and motivation. A number of surveys indicated poor performance by public service workers in terms of professional competence, reliability and efficiency. It would be important to provide efficient human resource development programmes and to make substantial changes to the recruitment system in order to ensure improvements. Efforts had been made, especially since the IMF bail-out package, to shift the existing system of HRD for public servants from high cost and low efficiency to a low cost, high efficiency structure by means of outsourcing, increased accountability and customer-oriented human resource development.

14. An observer, the General Secretary of Public Services International (PSI), welcomed the opportunity to discuss again the impact of structural adjustment and transition in the public services, and recalled the conclusions of the JMPS in 1995. The bulk of PSI members in more than 140 countries did not think that much progress had been made; rather despite the adoption of the conclusions by the ILO Governing Body, the situation had only deteriorated. Given the staffing levels and budget, there were doubts also about the commitment of the ILO to public services within the Sectoral Activities Programme, although he paid tribute to the staff for their activities with the limited means at hand. The United Nations World Summit for Social Development (Copenhagen, 1995) had reaffirmed the ILO's role as the key international body concerned with promoting social and employment goals in defining structural adjustment programmes and public sector reform, and the Organization's mandate to develop greater policy dialogue on these issues with relevant international bodies such as the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank. The International Labour Conference (June 1996) requested strengthened and ongoing dialogue with these Bretton Woods institutions to promote a better understanding of interrelated economic, social and employment policies. Enhanced scope for cooperation between the ILO and the Bretton Woods institutions had been set out in a 1998 speech to the United Nations on behalf of the ILO Director-General in the course of discussions on responses to the Asian crisis. PSI would not be satisfied until the World Bank began to implement the recommendations of other institutions such as the ILO. To this end, PSI urged the inclusion in the Meeting's conclusions of the following points for ILO activities:

collaboration with international and regional financial institutions, including the World Bank and the IMF, in developing solutions to problems induced by the current international financial and economic crisis so as to promote an efficient, effective, responsive and equitable public sector, achieved in part through HRD;
cooperation with such institutions in designing and implementing adjustment policies and programmes to include HRD as an aspect of public sector reform so as to lead to positive outcomes in service provision and freely negotiated public sector employment conditions;
work with such institutions to ensure that adjustment policies and programmes were designed and implemented in a framework of tripartism, sound industrial relations and respect for the principles of freedom of association and collective bargaining embodied in relevant ILO Conventions;
continue efforts to achieve closer relations and systematic collaboration with the Bretton Woods institutions on public sector reform issues with a view to enhancing HRD and social dimensions of economic adjustment programmes;
by virtue of its constitutional mandate, more active and in-depth investigation of the social and standards-related implications of international financial and economic policies and programmes, especially as they related to HRD in public sector reforms;
incorporation of the above-mentioned activities and principles into all ILO programmes, and recommendations by the ILO to member States and its other constituents to seek their implementation in forums where they have influence.

In concluding, he noted the adoption by the International Labour Conference (June 1998) of the Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work and its Follow-up, which committed all of the Organization's member States to respect the fundamental principles and rights embodied in the seven core labour standards of the ILO and to promote their universal observance; the word universal included the public service.

15. An observer, representing the International Federation of Employees in Public Service (INFEDOP), noted the importance of the ILO's report for a global view of the public service's functioning, its shortcomings, efforts to make it more dynamic -- although a reality in only a few countries -- and for the concerns of trade union organizations representing staff interests. It was to be hoped that the report's analysis would lead to concrete recommendations. The era of systematic depreciation of the public sector seemed to have given way to consciousness of its utility in many countries but if sufficient resources were not devoted to allow fulfilment of its mission, this tendency could easily be reversed as public services performed poorly. Public services were not just social services, as they included objectives such as sound economic development, natural resource management and environmental concerns. He emphasized the necessity for personnel to be involved in structural adjustment processes with a view to greater service efficiency, not just cost reduction. Although the experience of external experts in analysing private sector management functions was useful, it could not substitute for the actual experiences of public sector workers who should be associated with such studies. Second, it was important to give public sector management possibilities to assume their responsibilities in a well-defined mission backed by adequate budgets. Partisan interference in the establishment of administrative objectives and human resource management should be avoided. Training programmes should be aimed at all personnel categories, yet training budgets did not measure up to those of large private enterprises, and efforts were largely concentrated on already qualified categories, high-level officials or technicians primarily in information technology and management. Few efforts were devoted to retraining less-qualified workers, be it for internal redeployment, labour market employability or contracting out of services. Noting the report's emphasis on adequate compensation, he contended that remuneration levels generally were below those in the private sector, leading to dysfunctioning and departure of the most highly qualified staff. Ways needed to be found to balance the uniformity of public service salaries, important to mobility, with decentralization of salary determination as a function of sector specifics and efficiency, a vital element of any good human resource management policy. Reductions in public sector staffing levels did not necessarily constitute a macroeconomic saving, leading as they often did to increased unemployment, weakening budgets for social security and education as purchasing power and tax revenues decreased, nor did increased information technology always compensate, much less replace the human factor. The results were all too often reductions in service functioning and quality.

16. An observer, representing the International Council of Nurses, noted that the half-life of knowledge in the medical field was estimated to be between five and seven years; she considered that providers who did not conscientiously pursue a programme to maintain state-of-the-art practice could lose half of their competence in that period of time. Since change and reform in the health sector tended to be imperative and the norm, continuing education was crucial and needed to be facilitated throughout the human resource development strategies adopted by the public service if the quality of service and competence of workers were to be maintained or improved, and for services to be adapted to community and population needs. The relative value and degree of remuneration attributed to certain occupations continued to be influenced by the predominance of women in those occupations. The restructuring of the public service should be an opportunity to change this and apply gender neutral job evaluations as well as pay scales. Wage compression and discouraging pay scales were affecting the ability of the public sector in many countries to recruit and retain quality personnel. In addition, because of lack of career structures in clinical care, nursing had for many decades experienced chronic shortages; nurses who wished to advance professionally had to move into other professions. The ILO needed to continue the investigation and monitoring of the employment conditions of professional workers, including nurses, in order to develop relevant international norms and ensure protection of their rights. New technologies in public service needed to be monitored for their effectiveness in service delivery as well as for their impact on occupational safety and health. With regard to the move towards performance-related bonuses, she was of the view that clear criteria to capture qualitative dimensions of the service needed to be established, and that pay and conditions of work in the public sector had to be negotiated by the employers and representatives of public employees. Concerning international institutions that encouraged personnel mobility, it was important not to develop professional recognition tools in isolation but rather in negotiation with national regulatory bodies and professional associations.

17. An observer, representing the International Federation of University Women (IFUW), commended the ILO for the background document, and, in particular, the part on equal opportunity and treatment under section 5(3), as well as its efforts to highlight best practices of specific countries. IFUW advocated full rights of women to education and lifelong learning not only as a fundamental right, but also as a means to improve the status of women and enable them to attain equality in the world of work. Women needed to be empowered to take up high-ranking and policy-making jobs without which no amount of national legislation and international agreements would make a difference. Increasing the capacity of women would also increase society's overall capacity. She hoped gender equality would be given due consideration during the deliberations, especially with regard to the impact equal treatment could have on human resource development. The absence of land, property and resources for women in legislation, credit, new technology, equal pay for work of equal value, health care and social security should similarly be looked at.

18. An observer, representing the Latin American Confederation of State Workers, reported that, at its last congress, his organization had decided to strengthen its work to defend the unity of public service workers across the continent; for this reason the subject of the Meeting was of interest, leading to their participation. Most countries in Latin America were undergoing structural adjustment to enable them to pay off foreign debt inherited from the military regimes of the 1970s and 1980s. This was negatively affecting economic and social development, resulting in increased unemployment, marginalization and exclusion of vast sectors of society. Even the World Bank had now recognized that his country, which had lost 650,000 jobs over the decade, had one of the most unfair distributions of wealth. His organization believed it was necessary to carry out real state reform. However, such reforms needed to result in honest efficient States able to provide essential priority services in health, housing, education, justice and minority care. That presupposed constant worker training and satisfactory wages established through collective bargaining instruments.

Point-by-point discussion

Public service reform: Causes and expectations

19. The spokesperson for the Workers' group noted that the role of the public service and the nature of reform were two fundamental issues on which there needed to be a common understanding. She noted that the conclusions adopted in 1995 by the JMPS already recognized that healthy public services contributed to healthy societies, and that reform should be designed to produce positive results. She reiterated that not all change could be characterized as reform. Change for the wrong reasons did not enhance public sector efficiency and the Workers rejected an ideological approach to reform which assumed private sector performance as necessarily better and market models as the best ones to be simply applied to the public sector. In the opinion of the Workers' group, change driven by ideology and cost-cutting was likely to be negative for workers and services and thus society. The key factor for positive and successful reform was inclusion of the public and of public service workers through trade unions in the improvement of services.

20. Several Worker members pointed out that structural adjustment was often seen as a cost-saving mechanism. Without a proper macroeconomic analysis, cost-cutting and retrenchments could end up by creating heavier burdens for the State, due to increasing unemployment and reduced income from taxes and social security insurance. With continual cutbacks in staff, there were situations where services could not be guaranteed because of backlogs in processing claims and forms. Paying for private companies to carry out certain services was not necessarily the cheaper option for the State. There was plenty of evidence that services became more efficient when market approaches were introduced in the public sector accompanied by new technology and training. The question was raised as to what extent costs were being passed on to citizens who had to pay for services which were previously free of charge. The Worker members stressed that the modernization of public services and the development of human resources management systems did not always involve workers, which was an essential ingredient for the processes to succeed. It seemed that they were more often a response to World Bank conditions rather than a genuine effort to respond to the needs of citizens and the workers as service deliverers. Worker members also described the suffering caused to workers under massive retrenchment programmes in some countries, where employees had difficulty to obtain the redundancy pay due to them and many never received it at all.

21. Several representatives of Governments described the process of shifting from a system of personnel administration to one based on the managing of human resources in which policy was centralized and operations decentralized. The representative of the Government of El Salvador indicated that the main features of this process included shared responsibility, coordination, flexibility, and gradual and long-term change. There were five components of the human resource management and administration approach in El Salvador: setting up of an electronic database -- linked with the financial administration system through the budgeting of staff resources and the establishment of payment schemes -- as a management support tool; analysis of work units and posts; career development with selective and transparent recruitment; forward planning; and incentive programmes in relation to training, remuneration and grading systems. The development of a new organizational culture, management training, good labour and user relations, ethical standards and an appropriate legal framework were also essential aspects. The representative of the Government of South Africa described the effort in her country to transform the public service into a coherent, representative, competent and democratic instrument for implementing government policies and meeting the needs of its people. The Public Service Amendment Act of 1994 created the basis for integrating the fragmented system of state administration inherited from the apartheid era into a unified public service. A White Paper published in 1995 on the transformation of the public service outlined the new visions and mission of the public service, the main challenges and opportunities, comparative insights and lessons from abroad, priority areas (with an emphasis on training and education) and processes, policy instruments and the main financial implications. The Government had reconfirmed its vision for the development of a dedicated, productive and people-centred public service, staffed by public servants whose performance was maximized and whose potential was fully developed through the comprehensive provision of appropriate and adequate training and education at all levels. A new regulatory framework had been developed for improving performance management; decentralizing activities and devolving power; improving work organization flexibility, accountability and representativeness. The new regulations stressed the need for planning and organizing work for service delivery in consultation with citizens. The representative of the Government of Finland described how decentralization and the privatization of some services had been critical to the survival of the public service in her country. Market approaches had been accepted and most successful reforms were achieved through working together with the trade unions.

The process of structural change: Roles and functions

22. Some Worker members considered that public services had to be competitive, modern and efficient and able to respond quickly to changing circumstances. Trade unions as well as governments needed to analyse better the performance of both public and private sectors, comparing the broad social goal of public sector operations with the profit-seeking goal of the private sector. There was also a need to ensure transparency, eliminate corruption and guarantee that structural adjustment programmes actually improved public services. In this context, human resources development and training were important strategies to achieve an efficient public service. Training and retraining leading to redeployment were also essential elements of successful reform. Furthermore, appropriate labour standards and equitable labour relations needed to be developed. Trade unions should participate together with employers and civil society in providing the best possible services to users, ensuring that all citizens had access to services on an equal footing, and striving to guarantee that reforms enhanced the welfare of all citizens. In this respect, trade unions had to demonstrate that motivated public employees could provide better services to the public. It had to be recognized, nevertheless, that the existence of democratic processes in a country was an essential factor in determining the participation of trade unions in the reform process. Often institutions were weak and did not give much room for worker involvement in change. More than ever, governments had to work together with civil society to share responsibility for public life.

23. Worker members reported that in some countries reform of the public service had in fact led to unfettered and massive retrenchment, creating severe hardship as social safety nets were not always in place. Public confidence had been undermined as reform processes had not always led to improved services. It was vital, therefore, that the agenda for public service reform be established after consultation not only with the people, but also with trade unions. Authoritarian approaches by governments led to resistance on the part of public sector unions to positive participation in changes. Imposition of reform and diminishing trade union rights only reduced chances of successful modernization.

24. The representative of the Government of Canada pointed out that her Government had two roles: as a policy-maker, making decisions in the best interests of its citizens, and as an employer or manager of its public service. Trade unions were involved at two levels as well. Like any interest group they could lobby their Government and make their views known. Within the federal public service, they represented workers and were involved in many decisions affecting employees. The role of the Government as policy-maker, however, took precedence over the role of employer when there was a conflict of interests. In its role as policy-maker the Government took decisions on structural adjustment programmes relating to the kinds of services that citizens wanted. It then played its role as employer to ensure that changes affecting employees would be carried out as fairly, transparently and humanely as possible.

25. The representative of the Government of South Africa described how in her country right-sizing in the public service was a difficult bargaining issue and was required not so much because of financial reasons, but rather as a consequence of problems inherited from the apartheid era. To improve efficiency and representativeness, the public service workforce had to be rationalized. A voluntary severance package was developed in consultation with employee representatives. This was accompanied by an assistance programme to facilitate integration and redeployment in the community and included various types of skills and management training, briefing and counselling, and linking up with large private employers. A policy approach reflected in the Skills Development Bill had an important impact on the human resources development process in the country and the integration of workers. It provided for a framework to devise and implement sector and workplace strategies, to develop and improve the South African workforce and to integrate these strategies within the National Qualifications Framework. It also provided for training leading to recognized occupational qualifications and the financing of skills development.

Fostering reform through human resource development

26. Some Worker members considered that retrenchment should be the exception rather than the rule in public service reform, as private enterprises could not absorb the unemployed and this only aggravated the social situation. In addition, the uncertainty of many reform measures often created a bad public image for public services. The work of public employees was made more difficult in delivering public services to disgruntled citizens. Increasing job insecurity in the public service also led to negative attitudes, fear and discrimination. These tensions often led employees to resort to alcohol and drugs resulting in illness and a general lack of well-being among public employees. Trade unions did not want to prevent change, but they demanded security during the process of change so that its outcome would be positive for all concerned.

27. Worker members called for priorities to be established for vocational training programmes. The requirements and shortcomings of the current workforce should be analysed so that structural adjustment did not lead to shortages in some areas of expertise and oversupply in others. Challenges such as new technologies needed to be met and there had to be better human resource planning. Training had to be varied and cover all sectors. Basic vocational training was fundamental and retraining permitted the readaptation of skills to give employees access to new jobs. Training to enhance the skills level of employees in order to respond to new situations was just as important. To help the reform process it was fundamental for countries to have a national training and vocational training programme plan linked to public service restructuring. Occupational safety and health was of paramount concern to public sector workers, yet was often given low priority. Paradoxically, a large number of work accidents occurred in health services for example. Long working hours, low salaries and lack of training in handling apparatus and toxic materials contributed to these high rates.

28. Worker members stressed that consultation and participation of workers had to be carried out through trade unions. Workers did not want to delegate their participatory responsibilities to political parties or to government bodies. Consultation was an instrument to facilitate collective bargaining and so achieve the full development of human resources in the public service.

29. A number of Government representatives reported on human resource development trends in their countries and the implications for training, remuneration, working conditions and career development. They also described consultative processes with trade unions and measures to deal with public service downsizing. The representative of the Government of India explained how in his country the post-independence era had seen a long period of extensive public sector involvement in the development of infrastructure and public services. Since 1991 and under a series of governments representing the broad range of public opinion, economic liberalization policies were also affecting the public service which was being opened up to competitive forces. Key issues for public service employees were training, remuneration and working conditions. Basic education and vocational training were necessary prerequisites. In-service training, vital for career development and public service modernization, needed to be given more attention. Consultations had been conducted between the Government and trade unions on pay levels which had improved considerably in the public service and the public sector. With respect to working conditions, more responsibility and flexibility in work organization were needed, as well as clear standards and criteria for performance evaluation, training opportunities and opportunities to participate in reform processes.

30. The representative of the Government of Canada stated that the federal Government viewed effective human resources development and management as absolutely essential to developing quality public services. A fundamental and pragmatic review of public services and functions undertaken in Canada resulted in structural adjustments, partial privatization and elimination of duplication. There was full consultation with the public service unions and negotiations on terms and conditions of downsizing. Some 40,000 employees had left the public service, practically all on a voluntary basis with severance pay and financial incentives. In the course of legislative reform of the human resource management framework, the Government would also work on developing a consensus with trade unions and other stakeholders on an approach which would focus on systems, processes and results-based management. Effective human resource management involved leadership with good communication and understanding of employees at all levels as to the mission of the public service and their own roles and responsibilities. The right training and skills to achieve results were a prerequisite for a productive workforce. Having a sustainable workforce meant recruitment and development of workers who would be needed in the future. An enabling work environment allowed workers to perform to their best capacity for example by providing working time flexibility, telework, and safety and health guarantees. It was also important to ensure that public service values were well known and upheld, such as merit in selection and promotion, respect for ethical standards and non-discrimination.

31. The representative of the Government of Sweden reported a trend in her country of an increasing number of central agreements between trade unions and employers on competence-based issues as, for example, on the widening of traditional occupational roles to include a broader range of tasks in job content, as well as greater delegation and responsibility. The various bodies at national and local levels dealing with labour issues and the work environment provided for equal representation of trade unions and enterprises.

32. The representative of the Government of China stated that to effect economic structural change it was necessary to adjust the labour force through retrenchment and reforming of the organizational structure so that it was beneficial to both the human resources and the reform process itself. In relation to retrenchments in China, he noted that the Government undertook the cost of training and retraining of the retrenched workers. It carried out a skills assessment of public service employees and studies on market needs in order to identify and plan for the relevant training programmes to be implemented. During the training period, retrenched workers received their salary and benefits for up to three years and the Government subsequently helped them to find jobs.

33. The representative of the Government of South Africa reported the findings of a study which showed that poor utilization had been made of training in the public service under the apartheid era. The budget for training was 1.6 per cent of the total payroll, but only 0.3 had been spent in 1996-97 and at least 120,000 public servants were still in need of adult basic education. There was therefore a serious problem of capacity to deliver public services and the Government was faced with a huge task of re-engineering the entire human resources development process. A strategic framework had been developed to elevate the role and status of human resources development within overall government policy. Training and education using a competency-based approach was introduced, as well as effective and lifelong career paths for all categories of public servants, effective performance management, improved employment conditions and basing of promotion and career advancement on performance rather than on seniority or qualifications. The new public sector education and training policy was guided by the vision of a dedicated, productive and people-centred public service, one in which public employees' performance was maximized and their full potential developed by the comprehensive provision of appropriate and adequate training and education at all levels.

34. The representative of the Government of Finland described how all parties were committed to structural changes as a result of a policy decision to try to preserve the employment of public employees through natural attrition and to provide a support package for those faced with redundancy. This included continuation assistance from the health care services, career reorientation support, assistance in finding alternative employment and financial support for training for a new job or for an entrepreneurial activity. The package had a special governmental budgetary allocation which allowed wide and rapid change and which currently left very few unemployed.

35. The representative of the Government of the Russian Federation referred to the legislative basis that was established in his country for all matters relating to the public service. Specific regulations were included on the rights of public employees in relation to education and skills enhancement, and their rights in the event of dismissal or retrenchment. Public employees were guaranteed retraining once every five years at the very least for skills upgrading, during which they received their usual salary. During restructuring and right-sizing, employees were redeployed to other jobs commensurate with their skills and level of qualification and guaranteed retraining. When certain state bodies had to be closed down, employees would receive their salaries for three months, regardless of the redeployment process. If it was not possible to redeploy such staff, they nevertheless remained on the state payroll for one year. Career training was one of the most important features for a career development policy. A fast-track recruitment and career development for highly qualified and capable candidates was also being developed.

36. The spokesperson for the Workers' group outlined basic principles around which a consensus could be built on the basis of the discussion. Firstly, human resource development could be an important part of and tool for the process of reform, provided that certain conditions prevailed. There needed to be some certainty and security for workers in the process, based on their knowledge that they were being employed in accordance with international labour standards, that they had the right to be represented by their trade unions, and that they would be included in negotiations on change. Secondly, workers' involvement in the design and implementation of the change process should be channelled through their trade unions, so that they could participate in developing positive changes that led to better career paths, job opportunities and improved services for clients. The term "security in change" encompassed the concepts of proper employment conditions, inclusion, consultation and negotiation.

Education and training: Actors and design

37. Several Worker members reiterated a principal theme running through virtually all the items under discussion: the importance for workers and their trade unions to participate genuinely in the conception, development and implementation of training programmes for human resource development in the public service. In Germany, both employers and workers were represented on training and retraining committees, and the right to training or study leave was included in collective agreements. In many other countries, however, public employers seemed to consider it unnecessary to justify to their employees decisions on reform. They had to stop acting in an autocratic or arbitrary manner and talk to, rather than about, workers, in order to avoid outrage, bitterness and demoralization as well as opposition to reform. Workers considered that training with guaranteed funding should be closely linked to clear-cut career development planning and employment stability. In certain countries, trade unionists were denied access to training opportunities. In such cases, funding mechanisms needed to be examined with a view to ensuring non-discrimination in access to training funds. In other countries such as the Philippines, insufficient resources for staff development programmes meant that most public servants, 50 per cent of whom were women, were forced to use their own time and meagre incomes to meet the expense of acquiring new skills and knowledge. While trade unions had long demonstrated their capacity to plan, coordinate, organize and implement focused training programmes for workers, inappropriate human resource development policies by the Civil Service Commission had only encouraged an obsession with a "diploma culture", even if the degree acquired did not correspond to the requirements of available jobs. As a result, the public service found itself with many "square pegs for round holes". Training and education of public service workers was a strategic investment for the future. Worker members wished to recall a resolution adopted by the International Labour Conference at its 79th Session (1992), which endorsed the significance of comprehensive human resources development policies in times of structural adjustment and transition. It was time to put into motion the spirit and intent of that resolution, including its call for the formulation and implementation of human resource policies within the framework of democratic principles, tripartism, and consultation between the government, social partners and community groups.

38. The representative of the Government of El Salvador concurred with the view that human resource development, especially training, was a key element in public service reform. Her country was embarking on an extensive programme to improve all aspects of the public service, while increasing workers' job satisfaction by assisting them to attain qualification levels that were commensurate with the needs of their jobs and careers. The programme would focus on areas where lack of adequate knowledge had been identified, and aim at raising management and administrative capacity. Unlike in the past, sufficient funds would be earmarked so that each government institution could provide its workers the requisite technical or administrative training.

39. The representative of the Government of India stated that in his country education and training were a joint responsibility of both the federal and provincial governments. While both could legislate, broad policies were generally developed at the federal level and implemented by the states. In the past, education and training were not allocated sufficient funding as their needs were in direct competition with other national investment priorities, such as roads and hospitals. The Government had since adopted a double-pronged strategy to resolve the problem. It opened education and training to the private sector, with public subsidies to deserving poor students to alleviate the burden of market prices charged by private sector operators, and it sought external donor support. Since the late 1980s, for example, the World Bank had supported a US$400 million project for vocational training in the country. The project aimed at equipment modernization, enhancing women's participation, improving training in high-technology subjects, and modernization of instructors' training. World Bank support had been supplemented by matching funds from the states. Successful human resource development required the provision of sufficient funding, as well as adequate labour market information to ensure that human resource development programmes were effective and satisfactorily met the needs of industry.

40. A Worker member reported on donor-funded human resource development programmes in South Africa, where he was a member of the national training board for local authorities. Since education and training were the joint responsibility of workers and the Government, the human resource development burden needed to be shared. In South Africa, a proportion of the wage bill went towards enhancing training funds. National legislation promoted and protected the right to education and human resource development, and their standards and quality were controlled and assured through various bodies. Consideration was being given in national negotiation forums to the use of sabbaticals to allow individual workers to better themselves.

41. The representative of the Government of Zambia stressed that human resource development needed to be looked at from a global perspective. His Government had put in place a public service training policy to retrain retrenched workers for alternative employment or self-employment and to identify training needs of retained staff. The policy aimed at reviewing training for relevance, efficiency and effectiveness, ensuring the streamlining of gender equality, and providing a smooth exit for retirees and retrenched workers. A policy and institutional framework was also established to design and implement measures to cushion retrenched public service workers against the impact of unemployment. The measures which were developed with the participation of all stakeholders included assistance on training and retraining, counselling, resettlement, redeployment, land allocation for agricultural activities, and funds for setting up of small-scale enterprises. Given the Government's limited capacity to cover all the expense involved, it was hoped that financial support could be obtained from international institutions such as the IMF and the World Bank as part of their support to structural adjustment. The ILO could also assist by designing and implementing human resource development programmes to alleviate the impact of structural adjustment programmes on public service workers.

42. An observer, the Secretary-General of the International Federation of Training and Development Organizations (IFTDO), stated that many of the IFTDO's organizational members were national associations of professionals in human resource development in more than 50 countries, some of whom worked in the public service. The work of such practitioners required extensive knowledge of policy and related challenges and opportunities. Additionally, they needed to develop themselves professionally and to acquire new skills to respond to the challenges of globalization, structural adjustment and transition, in ways conforming to high-performance workplaces and standards of ethical behaviour. IFTDO surveys and symposia had highlighted the belief of practitioners that in the new, dynamic economic environment, new skills and values, such as respect, openness, trust, diversity, flexibility, teamwork and cooperation, participative styles, a holistic vision, and an appreciation of culture were essential. Other conclusions pointed to the necessity for skills enhancement, including in information technologies, management of knowledge, development of a learning culture and organizational development. A change in approach to people development required a shift from process to outcomes, from control to capability, and from managing to enabling. The IFTDO was in the early stages of developing competency criteria for human resource development professionals and delivery institutions working globally. The ILO preparatory report and the results of the Meeting would be important to that effort. Many positive outcomes were possible in the era of globalization and structural adjustment, including greater participation in the design and execution of one's work. Given the vital role of human resource development professionals in public service reform, their own professional development needed to be addressed in the final report of the Meeting, so that enlightened policy could be transformed into action.

Alternatives for retrenched workers

43. The representative of the Government of Egypt stated that her country previously had a system whereby the Government constituted a major employer. This had come to an end once the country embarked on economic reform and structural adjustment. The Government nevertheless had implemented privatization and adjustment measures with regard to maintaining social cohesion by means of social safety nets for displaced workers. Alternatives for retrenched workers included voluntary early retirement schemes with adequate compensation for workers over 50 years old and retraining and re-education programmes for redundant staff. Both types of programmes were financed by a combination of financial holding companies, a social development fund and the trade union federation, using part of the revenues of privatized companies and part of the operating funds of profit-making companies, and drawing from the social development fund credit facilities. Workers received up to 10 per cent of total shares of privatized companies, a measure aimed at enlarging the base of ownership and augmenting workers' incomes. An experiment had been undertaken by the cotton holding company in the form of an organization for retrenched workers in textiles, spinning and weaving which drew up retraining plans or provided workers with credits for small business development in association with the social fund. The Government also distributed agricultural land for reclamation. The National Employment Agency had been established, moreover, as a partnership between the Government, the federation of trade unions and the federation of Egyptian industries to provide information, counselling, training and other assistance for human resource development and employment. Trade union representation had been ensured on all questions of interest to public service staff. Reform strategies should be adapted to the economic, social and political realities of the environment in which they were introduced.

44. A Worker member noted that there appeared to be broad agreement within the ILO community that redundancy constituted a measure of last resort to be taken in full consciousness of its impact on communities, public service delivery and public employees. This in turn dictated the actions to be taken in negotiation with workers and their trade unions, among which career transition, severance payments, education and training and other actions which would preserve freedom for redeployment or alternative employment. The Workers were deeply concerned with the tendency of international financial institutions to impose redundancies without financing the accompanying measures to cushion the impact. The ILO was urged to call financial institutions' attention to the widespread agreement on the position that redundancy required measures to mitigate the impact on workers and the community. Privatization and contracting out required a level playing field and equal rights to tender for their jobs on the same basis as private bidders. This meant training, transparency in the bidding process and full information disclosure to both public workers and the private sector. In this way, bids would be fairer and broader, and the process would deliver better public services. He pointed to examples from the United States which were cited in the ILO report whereby public workers in some cities had successfully bid against the private sector when they had a chance. Once contracting had been completed, workers should have the right to continue their employment on at least the same terms and conditions as they enjoyed before, a matter for regulation and rule in much of Europe and for collective bargaining in the United States.

Pay levels, structures, decentralization and technology

45. Worker members pointed out that the issues of wages and working conditions had been before previous international meetings, specifically the ILO's Joint Meeting on Terms of Employment and Working Conditions in Health Sector Reforms (JMHSR) in 1998 which noted the deterioration in health sector wages and conditions, and the conclusions of the JMPS in 1995 on the need to establish competitive pay rates in the public service. Both the OECD and the World Bank had come to similar conclusions on the underpayment of public sector workers, particularly in the higher categories. Low pay rates led to recruitment and retention difficulties for qualified personnel on up to management levels, compromising effective public services in important areas such as balancing transnational corporation economic power. Strikes, including hunger strikes to protest non-payment of wages, had become a serious problem in certain transition countries such as the Russian Federation, particularly for highly qualified health and education workers. Withheld salaries were used to increase the incomes of managers or resulted in criminal activities. Methods to combat this problem included increased worker auditing of public expenditures, respect for workers' rights to strike in protest over non-payment, sanctions against employers who did not honour their obligations, and conditionalities attached to IMF loans. In addition, the ability of poorly paid public service workers to fight corruption was at risk due to financial temptations, a matter of concern for international organizations engaged in this fight, including the OECD with its convention on combating bribery. Even in developed economies, cumulative wage freezes over many years had affected governments' ability to attract and keep qualified workers, such as in Canada where computer science workers and auditors were hard to keep in government service, thereby costing millions of dollars in, for example, tax auditing. Moreover, the public service being a large provider of decent paying jobs for women workers in most countries, cuts in these jobs and pay freezes had a disproportionate effect on women. Worker members were very concerned over radical decentralization of wage negotiation as had occurred in the Republic of Korea, where 300-600 individual works councils with little real authority had been forced to negotiate with a centralized employer. On flexible pay it should be recognized by now, as had the OECD, that flexible pay on an individual basis did not work. A team approach was the proper focus and, in any case, wages should be based on performance appraisals and freely negotiated. Use of technology to simply cut jobs and costs instead of improving services or gender imbalances within workplaces constituted a poor use of such technology. The main problem was a political failure to follow through on studies and declarations by putting solutions into place.

46. The representative of the Government of Cyprus urged that pay systems should be simple, easily administered, and fulfil the objectives of the organization in question. Internal and external realities, such as private sector pay levels, should figure in decisions on salary system designs. Pay levels had to be within the possibilities of the employer and allow for the exercise of effective control.

Professional management

47. Government members identified key features of a professional management system, among which:

a non-partisan, merit-based public service with appointments made by independent selection bodies free from the political interference of elected government officials;
clear criteria for appointments (among those prevailing in many countries were competence, ability, diversity of experience, development potential, leadership, communication and interpersonal skills) and professional selection procedures (interviews and tests);
despite changes in governments, secure tenure of office in the form of continuing (permanent) appointments, subject to the need for a number of fixed-term positions permitting skill assessment and interchange within the public service, and between the public and the private sectors, as well as avoidance of disguised disciplinary measures such as transfers, thereby permitting effective administration of political decisions;
managerial pay rates comparable to those of the private sector, established through use of benchmarks;
definite promotional paths based on transparent evaluation systems;
training for managers at all levels in supervision and management principles and techniques with particular emphasis on leading and managing people, especially at the line manager level, fairness and equity in decision-making, use of information technology, and continuous improvements in systems to respond to changing internal and external environments (strategic planning);
managerial accountability to the public in service delivery and to elected officials for policy advice in terms of actions and especially failure to perform satisfactorily (performance management), with a balance to be struck between genuine mistakes and intolerance of corrupt practices exercised through professional auditing systems;
respect for commercial operating principles in financial matters and checks on monopoly authority in the pricing of service delivery;
political recognition of the need to invest resources for maintenance of a top-quality public service.

Examples of these points in operation were presented by the representatives of the Governments of Canada, Finland, India and South Africa.

48. Worker members agreed with many of these points, particularly those concerning use of information technology, teamwork organization, conflict management, and in view of their responsibilities for legal regulation, the critical need to close the large gap in pay rates between private sector managers and senior civil servants. They also stressed the unique ethos of the public service in terms of its responsibility to deliver high-quality service, efficiently and effectively, which underpinned managerial actions. Professional management required attention to research results on dynamic learning organizations, which showed that a key factor involved cooperation with workers and their trade unions. In Sweden, for example, a trade union organized company had set up to help local governments to adopt more effective ways of using employees' ability and experience than through traditional, hierarchical decision-making methods.

Workplace culture and ethics

49. Worker members accentuated values such as impartiality, honesty, fairness, transparency and neutrality as driving forces of the public service ethos. To ensure their full application, workers needed protection from arbitrary actions and corrupt practices. Public servants who acted as "whistle-blowers" to expose wrong-doing should receive special protection through legislation which would override partisan political concerns and could even be raised to an international standard along the lines of the "conscious provisions" adopted by the ILO's JMHSR (1998). One key aspect in this dynamic was full respect for workers' rights as embodied in international labour standards. A second helpful tool would be the adoption and application of a code of ethics or conduct which had been openly discussed and negotiated between staff and employer representatives. This could serve for governments as a checklist on acceptable public service behaviour, going beyond the important, but geographically limited, contribution of OECD member States to this question. It could be a concrete result of the present Meeting.

Employment security and equality of opportunity

50. Worker members insisted on guarantees for individual and collective (trade union) rights without discrimination, especially on ideological, racial or gender grounds, as a necessary guarantor of employee commitment and service quality. Decentralization and privatization by contracting out posed particularly sensitive challenges for effective application of rights even where legislation nominally guaranteed them. For example, studies in the United Kingdom had revealed the predominance of women in jobs lost to contracting-out arrangements, and in this sense real equality of opportunity required special attention to public service training. Examples were cited of negative and positive practices underlying these observations in Bulgaria (alleged violation of ILO Conventions and difficulties in collective bargaining), the European Union (directives and case law protecting workers' job security and terms of employment in transfers from public to private sector employers), India (collective bargaining agreements guaranteeing comparability in existing staff pay scales and pension rights under new private employers) and Uganda (transfer of workers with full benefits to a newly successful private tenderer). In relation to this item and a previous point on fostering reform through HRD, recommendations were made to integrate into national legislation the most important international labour standards covering wage protection, employment security, hiring and firing, severance pay, equal opportunities, health and safety and especially those set out in the ILO Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work and its Follow-up adopted by the International Labour Conference in 1998. In addition to respect for basic freedom of association and collective bargaining rights underlined in the Declaration, member States were also urged to ratify the Labour Relations (Public Service) Convention, 1978 ( No. 151).

Labour relations and participation in reform decisions

51. Worker members were critical of situations where regulations were imposed on public employees without any consultation and negotiation, for example, additional education units or equivalent training hours as requirements for the renewal of a professional license certificate or introducing a detailed dress code which was clearly targeted at women. Another example was the introduction of rules about special leave privileges, which in providing for a wide range of leave privileges but only allowing employees to choose one to benefit from, undermined the integrity of the whole negotiation process which was still in its infancy stage, undercut existing contracts and further discriminated against women teachers. Worker members also found unacceptable the exclusion of the social clause in assistance programmes of international financial institutions. Moreover, some countries parties to the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) did not permit workers' rights to be exercised. The Workers called on the Meeting to reach an agreement and recognize that many of the problems facing developing countries were a result of the economic policies of international organizations. Countries needed financial assistance, but the right to collective bargaining also had to be upheld. All changes affecting employees, including job design, career paths and training, should involve trade unions and be subjects of collective bargaining. Finally, the Worker members called for the Meeting to recognize and urge implementation of the right of public employees to organize, to be represented by free and independent trade unions, to bargain collectively, and to defend these rights.

52. Several representatives of governments stressed the importance of positive labour relations and worker participation. The representative of the Government of Canada noted that a favourable labour relations environment and good practices were essential to human resource development. These started with the recognition of workers and their right to participate in decisions affecting them, whether in a union or non-union environment. There had to be a principle of mutual respect and recognition of the legitimate interests of employers and workers. Where permitted by law this included collective bargaining and negotiation. Where there was no legal framework, there had to be at least a full and open consultation between employers and workers, a frank exchange of views and perhaps the establishment of a memorandum of understanding. It was important to ensure that there were streamlined and efficient processes for negotiation. Apart from formal consultation, informal discussions between supervisors and worker representatives also played an important role on matters such as hours of work, conditions of work and other workplace issues. The representative of the Government of Panama expressed the view that national laws and regulations had to be respected. Where the laws did not provide for the right to organize and to bargain collectively, the government and trade unions had to find ways of working together to identify the obstacles and change this situation. The right to organize in the public service had recently been accepted in Panama and work was now being done to try to establish in law the right to collective bargaining. The representative of the Government of Colombia described how his country had now taken the first steps towards establishing a new culture of labour relations. It was decided that the Government together with trade unions had a valuable contribution to make in solving the problems facing society and that they should listen to each other in a climate of mutual respect. It was important that this Meeting adopt clear conclusions and identify the obstacles standing in the way of human resource development.

53. In reply, the spokesperson for the Workers' group reiterated that the foundation for human resource development and reform was to ensure the contribution of workers as part of the mainstream process and as equal partners in dialogue. This implied the right for workers to organize and have their voice heard in an ongoing process of consultation.

Formulation of human resource development policies

54. Two representatives of governments described initiatives in their countries to promote workers' participation in the formulation and implementation of human resources development policies. The representative of the Government of the Republic of Korea stated that it was important that trade unions participate in public sector policy formulation on human resource development for the planning, implementation and satisfactory outcome of reforms, as was often the case in the private sector. In his country a national tripartite commission on structural adjustment had been set up early in 1998 to examine issues such as staff reductions and HRD. While it perhaps took longer to reach agreement on difficult areas such as staff reductions, it was important to invest this time in order to minimize the costs to employees and maximize human resource management. Similarly, the representative of the Government of Benin informed the Meeting that a joint bargaining committee with Government representatives and workers had been set up in 1997 in his country. The general secretaries of all the trade unions were represented in the committee. Draft texts on human resource development and remuneration were elaborated by the Government before being submitted to the joint committee where they were discussed, amended and subsequently submitted to Parliament.

55. Several Worker members underlined the importance of dialogue with workers for achieving social peace in a country. Workers were capable of assuming responsibility during periods of restructuring and could even accept restrictions on wage increases in order to consolidate budgets and ensure the development of a public service able to respond to the requirements of the modern State. It was important to put in place good conflict resolution machinery and to develop team spirit to achieve this social peace. The motivation, creativity and willingness of workers to enter into the reform process were at stake. In this context, it was very important that women workers enjoyed real and meaningful participation in HRD in order to achieve a constructive approach to decision-making in the public service.

The role of international institutions in HRD reform

56. The representative of the Government of India considered that a major obstacle in developing education and training in the public service was the shortage of funds. Governments faced competing demands for funds from different sectors and so it was important for international institutions to see how they could give priority to funding for training. Developed countries also played an important role in this regard by providing vocational training assistance to developing countries. The role of the ILO was to create a sense of awareness on the need to carry out programmes and to give technical assistance. For instance, the ILO could try to focus world attention on the problem of inter-country labour movements as the labour supply countries and the workers themselves were not in a position to do so. An important contribution of the ILO was to provide labour market information for the development of appropriate training programmes. ILO's technical help was needed to help countries modernize their training programmes, in particular programmes for women. Assistance could be more effective if the ILO worked more closely with the World Bank to provide financial and technical assistance.

57. The representative of the Government of Colombia described a project on a new labour culture in his country. It was successful due to the impartiality of the ILO coordinator of the project which enabled the three parties to come together and to listen to each other. Previously, the issue of productivity, for example, could not be discussed without great conflict. With the help of the ILO it had been possible to achieve consensus on this concept. Therefore, the ILO should be more involved in these kinds of processes. There was also a need for help with improving national programmes such as those in Colombia concerning labour statistics on unemployment, especially on women and young people. The ILO needed to be more active in promoting training programmes and bringing the social partners together on issues such as the mission of the government, workers and civil society. Cooperation between countries was also important, especially in helping retrenched public sector workers establish entrepreneurial activities, as they usually had little experience in this field.

58. In response to an earlier question on the need to identify constraints on human resource development, some Worker members expressed the view that the policies and conditions imposed on countries by multilateral lending agencies, especially the IMF, had been detrimental to the public sector, had created poverty and had left workers and their families destitute despite long years of hard work. There had been no consultation with the populations or workers concerned and there was a subsequent loss of democratic control at the country level. IMF conditionalities were frequently aggravated by their insistence on the use of exorbitantly priced foreign consultants to provide technical advice when appropriate expertise was locally available. Other IMF conditionalities required developing countries to open their markets to foreign goods, even when the sale of such goods was prohibited in developed countries because of health and safety considerations. This exposed populations to increased health and safety risks and exacerbated the burden on public health facilities. A recent ILO workshop held in the Caribbean on structural adjustment had concluded that public service reform was mostly driven by the demand to reduce public expenditure, usually as conditionalities for loans and programmes designed by multilateral agencies, with little local input and without consultations with public service unions and other stakeholders. The Workers agreed with this conclusion and pointed out that, although it was agreed by governments and workers of the region, the IMF shortly afterwards reinforced its earlier policies and imposed yet another set of similar conditionalities, resulting in the retrenchment of hundreds of thousands of public sector workers and devastation to public service programmes. This situation had led to what were called "IMF suicides". The Workers indicated that they could not even get access to information in order to understand the rationale of World Bank programmes which had such an enormous impact on them and the population generally. They drew attention to what appeared to be contradictory behaviour on the part of governments which attended ILO meetings and reached certain agreements with workers and then went to IMF meetings and reached different or even opposite agreements. Was the ILO's role then to just pat the workers on the head, while the real decisions were made elsewhere, decisions which effectively denied the right to freedom of association and collective bargaining? Governments at such forums should recognize their commitments, and translate them into specific action programmes for their respective countries. The report of the Meeting should underline the involvement of trade unions in the design and implementation of structural adjustment programmes. It should also stress the need for the ILO and Public Service International (PSI) to work closely with the IMF and the World Bank to review the negative aspects of their policies and develop proposals for their improvement.

59. The representative of the Government of South Africa considered the role of international institutions in reforming human resource development in the public service indispensable in a globalizing and integrating world. Given its comparative advantage in social and labour issues, the ILO should widen the scope of policy dialogue with the Bretton Woods institutions at the highest level to ensure that a strong social component was built into reform programmes. Further, the ILO needed to work with these institutions and other competent international organizations to continuously provide a dynamic platform for policy-makers to share experiences on domestic public sector reform and human resource development. As the Ghanaian experience showed, the rehabilitation of major personnel management systems and institutions, the development of a competitive government system and a motivation programme could be some of the elements of this technical cooperation.

60. A Worker member related radical changes that had taken place in Hungary over the past ten years, on which the World Bank, the IMF, various European Union institutions and the ILO had a major impact. The changes included privatization of 75 per cent of the economy, deregulation and a shift to a market economy. A programme was under way whereby the World Bank, the Government, trade unions and other interested organizations were reviewing together the conditions of 36 loan agreements which had been signed by the Government, as these had had social effects owing, for example, to a 14 per cent unemployment rate, falling wages and an increase in poverty levels. An equally useful idea implemented in Hungary, which could be emulated elsewhere, related to the privatization of electrical energy: the trade unions had demanded and obtained, with PSI and other international trade unions' support, the inclusion of a provision on human resource policy. The agreement included points on collective bargaining, a programme of action for the employers, and an employee fund representing 5 per cent of the revenue from privatization which was used to assist workers who had lost their jobs.

61. The representative of the Government of Benin stated that, as reform required financial and technical support, international institutions had an important role to play. He called for a framework for permanent consultations between the ILO and the World Bank with a view to reducing social costs and consequences related to economic reform programmes. The ILO was to be commended for assistance on the best ways to collect statistics related to employment, wages and working conditions to his country in setting up a computerized system for human resource development which had allowed staffing systems to be mastered and facilitated career development for public servants.

62. Responding to the discussions, the Secretary-General of the Meeting stated that he had taken due note of all the suggestions regarding the role the ILO should play in the sector. Such a role could cover the whole spectrum of social and labour issues to improve the labour relations system, through the promotion of social dialogue across all sectors, not just the public sector. With regard to the request for support to training programmes, within its limited resources and with support from financial institutions, UNDP and others, the ILO provided such assistance to countries around the world on a wide range of labour and employment questions. The ILO Bureau of Statistics was available for assistance on the best ways to collect statistics related to employment, wages and working conditions in the public and other sectors. With specific reference to comments on the violation of trade union rights in Colombia made by a Worker member, he noted that the question had been examined only a few weeks ago by the Committee on Freedom of Association of the Governing Body, which had urged the Government to stop the violations. He was pleased to note that the social partners were making every effort to assist this process. There had also been recent complaints of abuses of migrant workers' rights in Asia and other regions. An ILO programme had been set up to promote the protection of migrant workers, but countries were urged to ratify and apply the relevant ILO Conventions and United Nations normative instruments in this area. Efforts under way to increase ILO cooperation with international financial institutions focused on convincing the IMF to include a social dimension in its policy advice to member States. As regards the World Bank, its new President had reiterated to a recent ILO delegation in Washington his interest to increase joint cooperation. This willingness at the political level could be translated into expanded collaboration at the technical level, such as the participation of a World Bank expert during the Meeting's panel discussion on "Social Dialogue in a Changing Public Service". Moreover, the ILO cooperated with governments of industrialized countries, such as Germany and Canada, and other organizations to help developing countries organize and strengthen public administrations. Both the Government of France and German development institutions had provided support to the ILO's efforts to assist Benin in setting up their information system on the public service.

63. Summing up previous points, the spokesperson for the Workers' group recalled the group's positions on partnerships for an effective and quality public service, the conclusions of the JMPS in 1995, respect for international labour standards -- including the Human Resources Development Convention, 1975 (No. 142) -- national and international training, and the specific contributions which could be made by the ILO, notably using its multidisciplinary teams, to assist national programme development and to work in partnership with the World Bank. The basic thesis of the Workers' group was that any mix of policy options for human resource development should be constructed on the realization that no one formula could be universally applied, any plan had to be defined by the stakeholders concerned, and in so far as this concerned the workplace, full negotiations with trade unions were indispensable.

Consideration and adoption of the draft report
and the draft conclusions by the Meeting

64. The Working Party on Conclusions submitted its draft conclusions to the Meeting at the latter's sixth sitting.

65. The representative of the Government of El Salvador approved the present report and the conclusion submitted by the Working Party. However, in view of the lack of time to conduct appropriate consultations with her Government, she reserved her delegation's right to submit in future reservations or comments on the texts.

66. At the same sitting, the Meeting adopted the present report and the draft conclusions.

Geneva, 18 December 1998.

(Signed) Mr. W. Brett,

Chairperson.

1. Adopted unanimously.

Conclusions on human resource
development in the public service
in the context of structural
adjustment and transition⁽¹⁾

The Joint Meeting on Human Resource Development in the Public Service in the Context of Structural Adjustment and Transition,

Having met in Geneva from 14 to 18 December 1998,

Recalling the conclusions of the 1995 Joint Meeting on the Impact of Structural Adjustment in the Public Service (Efficiency, Quality Improvement and Working Conditions) which underlined that public sector reforms have to:

facilitate sustainable economic and social development, including full employment;
provide equitable access to services satisfying basic human needs and eliminating poverty;
provide essential health and education for all citizens;⁽²⁾
safeguard the environment;
improve and enhance democracy and security of human rights,

Recalling that the same Meeting established as basic guiding principles which should be respected in public service reforms and which are considered to be conducive to the success of these reforms:

continuity in the values of communities and cultures;
accountability, transparency and openness of government policies;
provision of better services to citizens;
the importance of good working conditions and the application of international labour standards for morale and performance of the public service;
partnership in decision-making,

Considering that appropriate, transparent and equitable policies and programmes of structural reform and institutional change should be established for the purpose of achieving good governance, sustainable social development and sound economic growth oriented towards full employment and human resource development,

Considering furthermore that the role and responsibilities of an efficient, effective, responsive and equitable public sector are vital in underpinning the sustainable growth and development of society as a whole,

Recognizing that human resource development (HRD), taking place in a framework of consultation and negotiation between governments as employers and public service workers through their trade union organizations, is an essential strategy for promoting an efficient, effective, responsive and equitable public sector,

Noting that the World Bank, in its World Development Report 1997: The State in a changing world, calls for an effective, open and participatory State, recognizes the need to root out corruption and authoritarianism, and recognizes that high staff morale and commitment are essential for the success of public sector reform,

Recalling that the UN World Summit for Social Development in Copenhagen in March 1995 reaffirmed, inter alia, the role of the ILO as the key international body concerned with the promotion of social and employment goals in the definition of structural adjustment programmes and public sector reform which deeply affect public services, and that this Summit also reaffirmed the mandate of the ILO to develop greater policy dialogue with all relevant international bodies concerned with these issues, including the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund,

Recalling that in June 1996 the International Labour Conference, in adopting a resolution and conclusions concerning employment policies in a global context, specifically requested the Office to strengthen its ongoing dialogue with the Bretton Woods institutions "with a view to promoting a better mutual understanding of the interrelationship between economic, social and employment policies",

Recalling the adoption by the International Labour Conference in 1998 of the Declaration of Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work and its follow-up which committed all of the Organization's member States to respect the fundamental principles and rights embodied in the seven core Conventions of the ILO and to promote their universal observance,

Bearing in mind existing ILO standards that are relevant to the public service, including the Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organise Convention, 1948 (No. 87), the Right to Organise and Collective Bargaining Convention, 1949 (No. 98), the Human Resources Development Convention, 1975 (No. 142), and its accompanying Recommendation (No. 150), and the Labour Relations (Public Service) Convention, 1978 (No. 151), and its accompanying Recommendation (No. 159);

Adopts this eighteenth day of December 1998 the following conclusions:

The role of the State as background
for public service reform (PSR)

1. The promotion of economic and social development and the protection of citizen⁽³⁾ rights are generally recognized as core functions of government.

2. Modern public administration involves much more than mere efficiency; it is closely related with the whole process of democratization. An orientation towards citizens as users of public services is not only an important performance indicator for service delivery, it also constitutes a democratic basis for public administration. In this respect PSR is most effective if citizens, workers and unions have opportunities to be actively involved. As any other reform, PSR has to be directed towards positive change, positive for both the citizens and the workers. Its target is improvement, effectiveness and efficiency as well as affordability of service delivery. Reform should take social considerations into account. Efficiency, however, should not be achieved at the price of social cohesion, employment or impoverishment.

3. The impetus for restructuring in the public service has come from external and internal sources. Reform objectives have included:

orientation of service delivery towards citizens;
equal access to services for all population groups;
improvements in the efficiency and effectiveness of the public service;
quality management, transparency and accountability;
establishment of personnel development instruments;
reform implementation respecting fair treatment of workers through collective bargaining.

Human resource development as a
complex approach and process

4. Based on the conviction that the workforce is the most valuable resource of the public service, the Meeting recalled the ILO Human Resource Development Convention, 1975 (No. 142), and the resolution and conclusions concerning adjustment and human resources development adopted by the International Labour Conference, at its 79th Session in 1992. The resolution endorsed the significance of comprehensive human resource development policies in times of structural adjustment and transition, emphasizing that education and training constituted "an essential element in a virtuous circle consisting of training and skill development, higher work motivation, higher productivity, continuous adjustment of enterprises and workers to change, higher employment and increased incomes and well-being". It further stressed that human resource policies "... should be formulated and implemented within the framework of adherence to democratic principles, tripartism and consultation between the government, the social partners and community groups". Specific emphasis was laid on the equality of access to training to all groups of the population, including disadvantaged ethnic minorities and marginalized groups of persons.

5. The Meeting concluded that HRD in the public service is an important part of the reform process. It should take place in a coordinated framework and not be fragmented. HRD will only succeed if it recognizes that no one solution will meet all circumstances. Public service workers have to be provided with appropriate skills, tools and orientation in order to ensure quality service delivery. HRD takes place as a process in which the workers should be included and consulted and where they should receive fair treatment based on international labour standards.

Participation of workforce and citizens

6. In accordance with international labour standards concerning collective bargaining, freedom of association and trade union rights, public service workers have the right to organize collectively and to be represented by free and independent trade unions.

7. The Meeting endorsed the conclusions of the 1995 Joint Meeting to the effect that PSRs were most likely to achieve their objectives of delivering efficient, effective and high-quality services when planned, implemented and monitored with the full participation of public sector workers and their unions at all stages of the decision-making process. While PSRs have to be well designed, dialogue between the social partners and ongoing consultation with citizens will make these reforms feasible and sustainable.

Training as a lifelong process

8. Training is required to ensure that current and future organizational needs can be met, to improve job skills, to improve job satisfaction, to facilitate the redeployment of staff and to enhance career and employment prospects. It is a major component of HRD in the public service which requires commitment, sufficient funding and work time for the employees to engage in learning activities, in accordance with ILO Paid Educational Leave Convention, 1974 (No. 140). Budgets should be allocated for training programmes and workers at all levels of the public service must have access to the training they require in order to meet these objectives. It is the responsibility of the employer to ensure, specifically in times of PSR and structural adjustment and transition, that this focus on training is maintained and supported through comprehensive training needs identification and follow-up which also includes provisions for retrenched and redundant workers. In order to increase the employability of staff, a multiskilling approach to training should be taken. Exchanges with the private sector could also be a useful technique. The parties concerned should be involved in the design, implementation and review of training programmes.

9. Training must go beyond simple job qualification and should also seek to reinforce important public service values, such as high ethical standards, equal opportunity, non-discrimination, transparency, accountability and responsibility. It should also promote attitudes that will support an environment free from corruption.

Professional management systems

10. HRD requires a professional management system, where emphasis is placed on leading and managing people well. The emphasis of the skills is on communication and relationships between people, particularly between direct hierarchical levels and in relation to industrial relations. Teamwork and conflict management require specific skills and high ethical standards in which the public employer has to invest through training and adequate pay in order to recruit and retain the qualified personnel required by the public service. Effective management needs agreed-upon evaluation and monitoring systems, including performance appraisal systems, which are based on transparent information. While public service management can certainly benefit from knowledge and best practices in the private sector, the particular environment, culture and missions of the public service must be recognized.

Pay in the public service

11. Adequate pay is necessary in order to recruit and retain qualified personnel. Moreover, on several occasions public service employees have not been paid at all or only with delays of several months. In accordance with ILO Protection of Wages Convention, 1949 (No. 95), wages must be paid regularly. Adequate pay, paid in a timely fashion also contributes to protect public service workers from corruption. Together with motivation, ethical standards, the environment and the culture of the workplace, it sets the frame in which human resources develop.

12. The Meeting endorsed the need for competitive pay rates in the public service; pay rates that take into account living standards in that country and pay rates that reflect the principle of equal pay for work of equal value. The Meeting also noted the conclusions of the 1995 Joint Meeting to the effect that: "Pay systems should be negotiated with unions, should be equitable and should not be aimed at reducing or freezing wage levels. Flexible pay systems including performance-related pay should only be used where their potential contribution to achieving efficiency, effectiveness and quality can be demonstrated and has been subject to negotiations with the unions".

Culture of the workplace, social
recognition and ethical standards

13. PSR must be designed to safeguard and promote essential characteristics and values of the public service such as impartiality, probity, equity, fairness and equal opportunity. The Meeting recalled that the 1995 Joint Meeting stressed that the interests of public sector workers should not be in conflict with those of other citizens and that they should work under mutually agreed codes of ethics and regulations which set out their rights and obligations. Public service workers have a right to protection in following public service ethical codes or exposing wrongdoing. Such codes of conduct which have both a guiding and protection function, including the protection of the neutrality of the public service and protection from political interference in administration, should be established with support from the ILO.

Labour relations and HRD

14. Good labour relations are essential for HRD and a well-performing public service. They have to be based on mutual respect and include frank and open discussions. HRD should take place within a framework of consultation and negotiation between the public employers and employees and their trade union organizations with a view to satisfying the intentions on HRD issues of all parties concerned. Potential benefits or obstacles have to be identified from the outset. A fundamental precondition is therefore that public service workers enjoy the right to organize and bargain collectively and to be represented by free and independent trade unions in accordance with international labour standards, including ILO Conventions Nos. 87, 98 and 151. Public service workers and their unions should also be involved in the implementation and evaluation of HRD measures. Bodies set up for this purpose should strive for a balanced representation of all groups of persons concerned, including a gender balance. Specific attention should be paid to equal opportunities and treatment, including the impact of the negotiated measures on women workers and other identified groups. Where contract arrangements are changed, including through contracting out, the acquired rights of workers should be subject to negotiations. The Meeting noted that the conclusions of the 1995 Joint Meeting included a comprehensive list of measures to address situations of redundancy.

Role of the ILO and other international institutions

15. In accordance with the 1998 Declaration of Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work and its Follow-up, the ILO is the constitutionally mandated international organization and competent body to set and deal with international labour standards and enjoys universal support and acknowledgement in promoting fundamental rights at work as the expression of its constitutional principles. In order to promote sound HRD, reform and labour relations in the public service, the ILO should:

by virtue of its constitutional mandate, look more actively and broadly into the social and standards-related implications of international financial and economic policies and programmes, particularly as they relate to human resource development in the context of reforms in the public sector;
collaborate with international and regional financial institutions, including the World Bank and the IMF, in developing solutions to problems induced by the current international financial and economic crisis, with a view to promoting an efficient, effective, responsive and equitable public service achieved, in part, through human resource development;
develop greater policy dialogue and cooperate with such institutions in designing and implementing adjustment policies and programmes to include human resource development as an aspect of public service reform, so as to ensure that changes lead to positive outcomes, both in the services provided and in the freely negotiated employment conditions of public service workers;
work with such institutions to ensure that adjustment policies and programmes involving public service reform, are designed and implemented within a framework of bipartism or tripartism, sound industrial relations and respect for the principles of freedom of association and collective bargaining embodied in relevant ILO Conventions;
continue to work to achieve closer relations, more systematic collaboration and policy convergence with the Bretton Woods institutions over issues of public sector reform, with a view to enhancing human resource development and otherwise strengthening the social dimensions of economic adjustment programmes;
incorporate into all ILO programmes and call upon member States and its other constituents to take all steps to implement the above activities and principles in forums where they have influence;
provide technical assistance to member States on HRD concepts in the public service by dynamic mobilization of resources and create awareness on the need to carry out such programmes and be provided with the necessary financial and human resources for this purpose;
cooperate with constituents in promoting the implementation and respect of the fundamental values, principles and rights contained in the 1998 ILO Conference Declaration and promoting the ratification of those ILO Conventions in which these concepts appear as well as other relevant Conventions such as Conventions Nos. 142 and 151;
cooperate both technically and economically with the constituents who so request it, in the execution of projects or programmes intended to promote sound labour relations as endorsed in these conclusions;
facilitate the exchange of relevant information between member States on these issues.

Part 2
Other proceedings

Panel discussions

Social dialogue in a changing public service

Moderator:

Ms. J. Larose, Government Vice-Chairperson of the Meeting

Panellists:

Mr. Z. Shaheed, Labour Law and Labour Relations Branch, ILO, Geneva
Mr. G. Betcherman, Social Protection Unit, Human Development Network, World Bank, Washington, DC.

Mr. Shaheed's presentation addressed the sometimes paradoxical arguments of, on the one hand, ensuring that those who enjoyed formal sector jobs and incomes should not forget those less advantaged and, on the other, of promoting good governance. He drew attention to some of the contradictions faced in this respect by public employees today. Formal sector workers were sometimes characterized as an elite and perceived as privileged employees monopolizing national wealth and being an obstacle to public sector efficiency. This might possibly have been true in the past when protectionist trade policy, domestic monopolies and public bureaucracies contributed to the development of a common interest between enterprises, employees and governments with workers benefiting from higher wages, greater job security and better working conditions. Today, in an era of downsizing and rightsizing, this situation had changed in many instances and the privileges of public employees together with those of urban industrial workers in general had tended to disappear. Furthermore, the often substantial transfer of income from public employees' salaries to the poor in the rural and urban informal sectors were not considered in the above argument. Yet, a well-trained, properly remunerated civil service was crucial for good governance and the successful implementation of structural adjustment programmes. In achieving good governance, Mr. Shaheed also stressed the importance of transparency, the accountability of public institutions and the participation of civil society, of whom employers and workers were among the best organized and largest groups. Therefore, the organization of public employees to address issues of human resource development, remuneration and work organization was fundamental to achieving an efficient civil service.

Mr. Shaheed highlighted the different practices around the world ranging from the general right of public servants to organize, to restrictions on the right to organize by certain categories, or the outright denial of freedom of association in countries where trade unions were not recognized. He pointed out that, whatever arrangements existed for consultations or negotiations on pay, it was universally subject to ultimate state control over public expenditure, and thus dependent on political decisions. This could made it difficult to ensure the recruitment, motivation and retention of qualified staff, an essential requirement for good governance. Despite these problems, however, the public sector tended to have higher rates of unionization. In the context of social change and structural adjustment, Mr. Shaheed considered that public service unions needed to take account of users' concerns and the public interest in pursuing their rights. As their employer was largely dependent on public opinion, it was strategically important that public employees enlist the support of the public in their actions. He cited examples of successful public service union campaigns which had linked up with other civic organizations to achieve common goals. This, in fact, constituted a form of social dialogue. However, he suggested that social dialogue could be much improved by including a wider range of actors than the traditional partners such as ministries of labour, trade unions and private employers. For example, the ILO had been encouraging the involvement of finance ministries and institutions in the process of privatization of public services and structural adjustment, in order to create greater awareness on the labour repercussions of economic reforms. Mr. Shaheed concluded by suggesting that acceptable solutions be sought to any negative effects on employees of civil service reforms through joint consultative means. Public employees should also be helped to better understand their role and contribution, and staff associations and unions should form alliances in working together with the public they served.

Mr. Betcherman underlined the importance of cooperation between the World Bank and the ILO in maximizing the social aspects of development. He referred to a recent meeting between senior officials of both organizations during which a number of measures to promote a social agenda including core labour standards were agreed. He stressed the importance of good governance in achieving the World Bank's goal of promoting economic development and eradicating poverty, noting that some States did better than others in this regard. This was due to their capacity to undertake collective action which involved developing human resources in government institutions and broadening participation and social dialogue. For the World Bank, new paradigms were emerging and incorporation of social and institutional variables in the framework of economic development had become a priority. Mr. Betcherman described the experience in Canada of the partnership between the federal Government and the Public Service Alliance in 1995 to facilitate downsizing and to ease the difficult industrial relations climate. The successful outcome was due to the fact that a clear mandate had been defined, that mutual concern, transparency and communication were given great importance and that the integrity of bipartite dialogue was respected. For the World Bank, social dialogue meant consultation and participation with stakeholders in a social change process. Benefits of social dialogue included ownership of the change process, accountability, increased relevance and effectiveness and maintaining ethical standards. Mr. Betcherman referred to a World Bank programme in Yemen aimed at civil service reform and modernization through improving core systems, increasing transparency and professionalizing the civil service. The social assessment of the Bank involved identifying key stakeholders, analysing concerns of civil servants, developing a participatory reform process and identifying the particular concerns of the poor. In conclusion, Mr. Betcherman reiterated his belief in the benefits of social dialogue not only for workers, but for the public in general. However, making social dialogue work was not easy, especially in countries where this was not a tradition. Decisions to restructure public services meant that people would lose out. There were difficult challenges to be faced in encouraging dialogue where this tradition did not exist, mitigating vested interests and mistrust, and sustaining social dialogue. It was up to domestic governments and stakeholders to drive the process, and international organizations could help by contributing resources, "best practice" knowledge, and having an honest broker status. In the coming years the World Bank would be attempting to move away from a technocratic approach and reach out to trade unions and social groups.

Discussion

In the course of the ensuing discussion, Workers from developing countries and a number of Government representatives generally welcomed the World Bank's new approach and the reinforced cooperation between the ILO and the Bank. However, they pointed out that this approach had not yet spread to officials dealing with governments and trade unions at the national level. They also criticized the policies and programmes of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund which in their view had resulted in massive redundancies and increased poverty and hardship in certain countries, with women being particularly affected. Reforms tended to accentuate inequalities. They drew attention to the difficulties of governments which had to accept certain conditions in order to obtain finance and even after they had fulfilled the required conditions had not always been paid the retrenchment subsidies promised by the international financial institutions. The question was raised as to what were the benchmarks for good governance. It was also recommended that there be more consultations between the IMF and the World Bank and that the same recipe not be applied to different situations. There needed to be consultation and involvement of trade unions and social groups at the national level as the problems varied between the regions. It was also suggested that the cooperation and efficiency of the ILO and the World Bank be improved; the ILO should be a valuable resource for the World Bank with regard to trade unions networks and information.

Workers questioned the models of consultation in practice, as workers were often consulted about employment effects only after it had been decided to reduce the workforce significantly. Trade unions had a right not only to be informed about restructuring of the civil service, but also consulted at the beginning of the process and on the setting of the agenda, not just its implementation. Yet, a practical problem facing civil society and trade unions was the difficulty in gaining access to information about World Bank programmes, either from the Bank or from the governments concerned. The Workers were also critical of the lack of monitoring by international financial institutions of corruption and embezzlement of funds.

Mr. Betcherman acknowledged that there was a great lack of knowledge about trade unions in the World Bank, reinforced by the belief of economists that trade unions distorted the market and introduced inefficiency. The Bank was launching significant training courses for staff to deal with the social, economic and political realities of trade unions. Mr. Shaheed agreed that the ILO should be working more closely with the World Bank and that the ILO could contribute more upstream in the areas, for example, of labour legislation and training relating to trade unions. In response to a question on how to reconcile trade union affiliations to political parties and the notion of an independent civil service, Mr. Shaheed pointed out that public employees should have the right to organize and defend their conditions of work and that affiliation to political parties was a separate issue. Mr. Betcherman remarked that the Bank should be exposed more frequently to the kind of debate that had taken place throughout the panel discussion and which had further reinforced in his mind the importance of social dialogue.

Decentralization processes and human
resource development in the public service

Moderator:

Ms. A. Enriquez Geron, Worker Vice-Chairperson of the Meeting

Panellists:

Mr. F. Thedieck, Director, Public Administration Promotion Centre (DSE/ZÖV), Berlin, Germany
Ms. R. Figueroa de Jain, Coordinadora Técnica, ICAP, San José, Costa Rica
Mr. T. Alfthan, Training Policies and Systems Branch, ILO, Geneva

Mr. Thedieck defined a number of key concepts. Decentralization implied a fundamental change of organizational patterns, personnel mentalities and institutional policy. Centralism was based on top-down decision-making, hierarchical discipline and obedience. In contrast, decentralization was predicated on subsidiarity, networking, cooperation/coordination and improvization. Decentralization could take various forms, including "deconcentration" (transfer of competencies from central to sub-national level while overall managerial responsibility remained centralized), delegation (transfer of singular public administration competencies to a body outside normal public administration), devolution (transfer of competencies from national to sub-national bodies with a certain degree of autonomy, accompanied by overall managerial responsibility), and privatization of public administration competencies. Distinctions could be made between horizontal (division of competencies/power between different sectors of civil society and public administration), vertical (distribution of competencies between different public administrative levels) or intra-organizational decentralization (different management forms within institutions and the degree of autonomy among institutional units). The impetus to greater decentralization came from the inability of central decision-makers to cope with the increasing complexity of modern societies, leading them to increase the number of decision-makers. The requisites for a successful decentralization process included a political approach which went beyond a technocratic modernization strategy; a multi-party consensus and support by civil society; strong national government focused on decentralization as a high priority; involvement of local authorities in the process; an innovative reform environment; a coherent reform concept to which the actors were committed; financial resources and a strong human resource development programme as part of the process. Decentralized tasks were often centred on social affairs such as health and education so as to save on public expenditures, yet there should be an economic orientation to shift political power and financial sustainability to sub-national levels. The effects of decentralization included greater economic and social diversity, further encouragement to varied groups to develop local competencies and strengths, with lasting cultural, economic and social benefits.

Mr. Alfthan explained the principal current and future activities of the ILO's Training Policies and Systems Branch, including research and advisory services for countries in reforming training systems and policies. Assistance was presently provided to some 30 member States and standards-related work in the form of the elaboration of a report to be submitted to the International Labour Conference in the year 2000 on whether a new recommendation on vocational training was needed. Training was important for a number of reasons, namely it benefited individuals by upgrading their skills, improving job and career opportunities and augmenting their incomes; it benefited enterprises by boosting productivity, competitiveness and profits; and it benefited society at large since countries' economic and social progress were strongly related to investments in education and training. Vocational education and training reforms were rooted in concerns over the relevance, efficiency and effectiveness -- and the budgetary constraints of training -- the latter concern augmented by the pressures of structural adjustment programmes which often created an unwillingness on the part of public authorities to commit resources to education and training. Questions over relevance concerned compatibility between training objectives of systems and institutions involved in training, including public sector, economic and social objectives. Effectiveness related to the outputs intended to meet the fixed objectives, while efficiency was a measure of the relationship between given inputs and the resulting outputs. Reforms included reorienting training systems to new purposes or priorities, alternative products or different clients, for example, training for new industries, occupations and skills, self-employment training, developing competency-based modular training, reducing narrow specializations, shifting the focus toward lifelong training, or training for disadvantaged groups. A reorganization of the training system could focus on alternative structures, new management or procedures, and on improving product quality, such as altering the internal links between education and training and between both and the world of work, seeking greater private engagement and stakeholders generally in service delivery, decentralizing public provision, reducing bureaucracy, and improving skill standards, testing and certification. Refinancing the training system might include reducing costs and expenses, exploring new funding sources and channels, or changing the funding criteria, such as shortening the duration of in-school training, reducing or eliminating boarding facilities, devolving budgetary discretion, introducing cost-recovery measures, and introducing incentives in the form of individual or enterprise levy grant or other financing schemes.

Ms. Figueroa de Jain focused her remarks on the Central American experience with decentralization and HRD. This had been marked by greater regional integration in the form of a common market, increased democratization, and a modernization process oriented towards a revision of the State's roles. Borders between the public and private sectors were disappearing, while technology and greater access to information were changing labour markets and processes. A distinction could be made between the atmosphere of change and its environment, as well as between management and administration. A first major reform was that of bringing peace to the region. Another major reform revolved around democratization of the State, notably, increased openness in democratic institutions and local governance. A third reform concerned the adoption of a new development model based on a market economy which was used to orient public administration service delivery, emphasizing greater state efficiency and productivity. Within the public service, distinctions needed to be made between the different legal frameworks regulating state, institutional and individual authority, and the operation of systems. Decentralization had operated differently according to the degree of previous centralization in the region's countries; highly centralized systems which delivered all services such as education, health and public administration had experienced greater problems than those which were less centralized when the decentralization process began. The establishment of a political consensus for democratization (the Washington consensus) had been an important part of the foundation for the process to be initiated. At the same time, globalization and structural adjustment processes called for different approaches to many questions, leading for example to the emergence of a common market. The transfer of the necessary resources compatible with responsibility was, as mentioned by Mr. Thedieck in the context of "deconcentration" and vertical reorganization, a critical element for success. Also, the horizontal transfer of tasks had led to the emergence of many non-governmental organizations (NGOs) with co-management responsibility for service delivery and human resource training shared with the State -- there were now 10,000 NGOs in Costa Rica alone -- marking a distinct increase in civil society participation. Other trends to be noted included deregulation and privatization, territorial and institutional restructuring (notably affecting education and health), and progress in both social development and democratization. Reforms affected the quality, amount and flexibility of employment. Although no empirical studies existed on the impact of decentralization on government employment, some estimates suggested that it had been considerable. Labour flexibility had increased; in numerical terms, for example more part-time work and different wages and conditions, sometimes worse in local areas; functionally, in terms of new skill requirements and policy concerns, for instance with regard to the environment; and structurally, as new organizations and career patterns emerged. Previously centralized collective bargaining processes had also shifted to local bargaining, sometimes with a deterioration in local conditions. The challenges ahead included meeting new personnel requirements, particularly for multiple skill development, managing widely diversified working conditions in a context of greater contracting out, a fixed tax base without an increase in revenue, dealing with a more fragmented trade union movement in the process of workers' participation and greater labour flexibility, and adapting to generally scarce resources at the local level. Training -- with the State increasingly playing the role of regulating standards and competencies -- would also have to adapt to the new conditions.

Discussion

An observer felt that pay structures in the public service were rigid and difficult to link to performance. He wondered how HRD could be used to motivate individual improvements and how decentralization could contribute to the process. Mr. Thedieck, pointing to the experience of decentralization in previously centralized countries such as France, noted the positive impact on motivation of greater local decision-making in resource allocation. There were limits imposed by the reluctance of some people to transfer from centralized to decentralized workplaces which required new local resources and HRD. A real challenge for motivation was posed for central decision-makers who lost power and had to change roles. Ms. Figueroa de Jain felt that, while decentralization introduced profoundly different and often disturbing forms of organization, it could contribute positively to the emergence of a new, enriching culture of work and participation in decision-making as local decision-makers increased their capacity and recognition. Mr. Alfthan emphasized the need for increased outreach of training to disadvantaged groups, especially in the informal sector, with the objective to empower people and reorient institutions to provide new, multiskill programmes.

Another observer stated that the key question was improved training for existing personnel to make the best use of an enterprise's human capital. Mr. Thedieck contended that the training focus should be on the public and the private sectors, since decentralization increased private sector opportunities. Reskilling programmes were needed and should be adapted to the differing needs of central ministries and local levels or between developing and more developed countries, and taking account of the personnel needs created by difficulties in implementing transfer policies. Mr. Alfthan emphasized the critical importance of continuous training, since people could be expected to change occupations several times in their lifetime, yet the focus too often remained on initial training for employment.

A Government member questioned the trend towards cost-cutting and privatization of key services such as education and health, resulting in potentially high social costs, for example, turning education more into a privilege than an opportunity for all, as well as the impact of decentralization on functions and roles, and the differences in conditions which national and local civil servants were faced with as a result of the process. Ms. Figueroa de Jain responded that decentralization certainly had an impact on questions of costs, but could also have a positive impact by forcing reconsiderations of resource distribution and means of working, leading, for example, to multidisciplinary teams at local levels, although clearly the changes were enormous and could lead to failures. Mr. Alfthan felt that innovative ways to reduce costs could be found, such as reducing unit costs through double-shift systems, and redistributing the burden of costs to include individuals and enterprises when they clearly benefited from the training by means of incentive systems. Mr. Thedieck concluded by emphasizing the potential value of distance learning in cost reduction and productivity improvements.

The ILO and the public services

Moderator:

Ms. A. Enriquez Geron, Worker Vice-Chairperson of the Meeting

Panellists:

Mr. J. Courdouan, Labour Administration Branch, ILO, Geneva
Mr. E. Hoffmann and Mr. M. Hammouya, Bureau of Statistics, ILO, Geneva
Ms. C. Thomas, Equality and Human Rights Coordination Branch, ILO, Geneva

Mr. Hoffmann, assisted by Mr. Hammouya, made a presentation on how the ILO provided technical guidance and training to assist member States in improving the quality and international compatibility of labour statistics which were collected and disseminated. The work was based on two international instruments, the Labour Statistics Convention, 1985 (No. 160), and Recommendation, 1985 (No. 170), and on a number of resolutions adopted by the International Conference of Labour Statisticians, which met approximately once every five years. The Conference met in 1998 and adopted resolutions on the measurement of underemployment and inadequate employment, the measurement of employment-related income, and statistics on occupational injuries resulting from occupational accidents. Most, if not all of the topics covered in the Report submitted to the present Meeting required adequate information, including statistics, to describe situations over time, to formulate, implement and evaluate policies, and to allow meaningful discussions to take place with the social partners and the general public about trends and proposed policies. Meaningful statistics for these purposes would require the realization of two types of programmes: an ongoing data collection programme (yearly or quarterly) to monitor current developments and activities on, for example, employment, wages, training and labour conflicts in the public service and the economy at large; and special surveys at greater intervals to depict trends in employment and working conditions, for example, job evaluation/appraisal, working time, occupational safety and health and the working environment, including management-employee relations. With respect to the latter issue, the case of a recent survey in Norway was cited as a concrete example. The ILO had not been able to enhance the capacity of member States to analyse the public sector in relation to the economy at large to any great extent because national experiences of this kind were generally limited or incoherent from a statistical perspective. In this regard, the definition of the public sector was one of a number of problems. As presently defined in national accounting systems, it could be subdivided into three main components: organizations responsible for public administration, social security and non-profit institutions; public sector enterprises; and other units operating as public sector enterprises in a market environment. The results of the recent ILO survey covering almost 80 countries revealed that public sector employment as a percentage of total employment ranged from less than 10 to nearly 40 per cent in OECD countries (average: 25-30 per cent). In transition countries, it was considerably higher, ranging from 25 to nearly 60 per cent, though well below the figures available ten years ago. Variations among the developing countries surveyed ranged from 5 per cent to more than 40 per cent, although the relative percentages in some countries were questionable given that employment figures were reported only for the formal sector. The data revealed that women played a larger role in public sector employment than in employment generally, although the difference was not significant in OECD countries. Comparative statistics on variations in public sector employment did not really exist before 1990, but the figures since that date showed considerable decline in countries such as Australia and New Zealand whose economies had been considerably restructured, and even more dramatic declines emerged in the transition countries for which data were available such as Croatia and Estonia. Public sector retrenchment had also been more severe than overall employment declines in many restructuring developing countries, implying a shift to informal sector employment. Additional information was available in the statistical report before the Meeting.

Mr. Courdouan noted three main aspects concerning standards dealt with by the ILO: labour administration systems; employment services; and labour inspection services. Work on labour administration systems was holistic, dealing with issues in relation to responsible public administrations, but also labour administration systems which took into account the totality of actors, notably the social partners who intervened in these systems, especially through the Labour Administration Convention, 1978 (No. 150), and Recommendation, 1978, No. 158. The ILO's work on employment services focused on two important standards, the Employment Service Convention, 1948 (No. 88), and the Private Employment Agencies Convention, 1997 (No. 181). Work on the labour inspection services was based on several Conventions, the principal one being the Labour Inspection Convention, 1947 (No. 81), which related to the industrial and commercial sectors. Certain reflections emerged from this work in relation to public administration, notably with regard to elements of Conventions Nos. 88, 150 and 181. Convention No. 150 broadly defined labour administration as public administration activities in the field of national labour policy; labour administration systems covered all public administration bodies responsible for labour administration, notably the Ministry of Labour. The Convention was innovative in that its definition of labour administration systems provided for other entities including parastatal bodies and the range of commissions or other structures which involved non-public sector representatives, notably trade unions and employers' organizations, in decisions by means of consultative or negotiation mechanisms. The Convention also opened up labour administration systems to structures jointly managed by the social partners, in areas such as vocational training and employment. The second innovative aspect which flowed from the first one was the Convention's concern more with the functioning and expected outputs of the system than with its structures, which could vary according to national laws and practice. Moreover, the Convention underlined the need for exchange of information and consultation with social partners on all systemic aspects -- standards, policies and management. In sum, the Convention underlined the primal responsibility of the State for labour administration, but in association with partners who would play a role even within public administration structures, while respecting each partner's autonomy. This was an interesting conceptual position for a modern State in relation to a market economy and political democracy. In June 1997, the International Labour Conference had encouraged the ratification of the Convention and application of the accompanying Recommendation as exemplary standards which incorporated the values and vision of the ILO. Convention No. 181 on private employment agencies had resulted from an in-depth revision of an older standard -- the Fee-Charging Employment Agencies Convention (Revised), 1949 (No. 96) -- and now included temporary employment agencies. Together with Convention No. 88, the ILO now had distinct standards for both public and private employment services with regard to labour markets, but which encouraged a search for coherence and coordination among public and private actors for the benefit of those seeking employment and of enterprises. The Private Employment Agencies Recommendation, 1997 (No. 188), went further to define elements of such complementarity and cooperation, evoking pooling of information and launching joint projects. Against a backdrop of ILO principles, notably that labour was not a commodity, debates could take place incorporating ethical considerations, so that the functioning of public and private instances did not lead to actions which were detrimental to enterprises, and especially employment-seekers. The application of the principles contained in Convention No. 81 on labour inspection services had been extended to the non-commercial sector by a 1995 protocol, itself open to ratification. The main elements of the protocol (workplace rights, employer and worker information, consultation, and notification of problems and responsibilities relating to working conditions) were reviewed, and Mr. Courdouan emphasized that the protocol was considered to apply to the public sector. All of these standards equally took into consideration the necessary conditions for a proper functioning of the public sector in the areas of adequate status, recruitment, training and remuneration of those employed, as well as the necessary resources for their functioning, conditions which had already been highlighted in the Labour Inspection Recommendation, 1923 (No. 20), especially the remuneration necessary to safeguard employees from temptations related to corruption and departures to better-paying jobs. Three publications were currently being prepared on best internal management practices in the areas of labour administration, employment services and labour inspection.

Ms. Thomas addressed equality issues in relation to HRD and structural adjustment, notably in the framework of three important international labour standards sometimes referred to as the "equality triangle". The first, the Equal Remuneration Convention, 1951 (No. 100), covered remuneration (all forms of payment in cash or in kind) for work of equal value performed by men and women. Recent analyses of country reports on the Convention's application suggested that it was far from being fully applied in any country. The concept of remuneration did not pose a major problem for the public service, especially if one examined salary rates which showed a convergence between men and women. If the entire remuneration package was considered, however, great differences remained although the negotiation process in the public service allowed this to be reviewed. The concept of equal value also posed a problem, referring as it did in the Convention to equal pay for work of equal value, not for equal work. Thus, it required some objective evaluation of the job and the performance of individuals in that job; this was not an easy task and efforts to this effect were greater in the public service than in the private sector. Knowledge about job evaluation had improved in the last five years and country experience demonstrated that job evaluation based on analytical methodology, especially that developed and applied with the assistance of trade unions and the government, led to reductions in wage differentials. The methodologies were particularly effective in removing gender biases in most instances; most references to male and female job categories had disappeared except in some older collective bargaining agreements. Yet, many old classification systems with unclear origins contained inherent biases favouring or disfavouring the person doing a job, male or female, rather than analysing the job content, as called for in the Convention. Analytical evaluation methodologies facilitated the elimination of underlying criteria which might be unintentionally biased, such as previous use of family wage systems which only men received. Another example was the switch from analysing responsibility in terms of staff supervision to measuring it by way of other factors, including health and safety items or information-sharing; this methodology attached just as much value to the job content but was less segregated since more women had moved into such jobs. A new system had emerged in Switzerland over the last year to evaluate gender bias within job evaluation systems, including criteria for emotional and not just physical job demands. Examples of changes were cited for Belgium, Dominica and Finland. Public service reforms provided an opportunity to phase out ratings-based systems in favour of those based on analytical methodologies. Other changes which related to the principles of Convention No. 100 included greater incorporation of equal pay for work of equal value in national legislation, for which statistical information was vital. The ILO's Committee of Experts on the Application of Conventions and Recommendations had recently made recommendations on the kinds of statistics which should be collected in order to analyse direct and indirect differentials. A second major standard in the field of equality was the Discrimination (Employment and Occupation) Convention, 1958 (No. 111), which addressed equality in training, access to jobs, upward mobility, terms and conditions of work and security of employment, and concerned discrimination other than between men and women. In many States, the public service was playing a leading role in applying the principles of this broader equality standard with regard to criteria such as race or religion. These gains had been eroded through structural adjustment pressures, however, since the public service was more likely to employ marginal social groups than was the private sector. Reviews of the Convention's application, therefore, focused as much on HRD policies with regard to minority groups as with overall macroeconomic policy. The last standard in the equality triad was the Workers with Family Responsibilities Convention, 1981 (No. 156). Although it was not listed as one of the fundamental labour standards, equality could not be advanced much if the issue of shared family responsibilities between men and women at home was not addressed in the context of the workplace. Again, the public sector seemed to be playing the leading role on these questions -- even if some large private sector employers had also demonstrated leadership -- in developing leave programmes and flexible working arrangements which encouraged greater access and participation of men and women in employment, as well as convergence in pay. Unfortunately, few countries had ratified this Convention in contrast to the other two, although many more programmes appeared to exist, particularly in the public sector. Women's participation rates remained low in some developing countries, with even lower percentages of women in higher management positions in a wide range of countries, as illustrated by the statistics presented in an ILO report entitled Breaking through the glass ceiling: Women in management (1997). Despite improvements in factoring out of gender biases, the pay gap between men and women remained on average 30 per cent (lower in the public and higher in the private sector), rising to as high as 78 per cent in one industrialized country. New Zealand was cited as an example of a lowered gap, even if recent changes in their system had widened the gap, a phenomenon that appeared to expand in other countries with decentralized collective bargaining and privatization of public services, leading a number of countries such as Denmark to factor in compensatory mechanisms to avoid rises in wage gaps between men and women.

Discussion

An observer noted that statistics were still difficult to obtain because many governments did not even know how many people they employed. Some were struggling with the problems of "ghost workers", for instance, South Africa which had to develop audits to deal with this issue. Zimbabwe was faced some years ago with a request by the World Bank for a 20 per cent reduction in public sector personnel but did not know the exact number of public employees to begin with. He wondered what the ILO could do to address this global problem of the imprecise number of public sector workers, particularly when criticisms were made about bloated public services in the absence of complete figures. Secondly, workers often wondered why the ILO could not adopt a system similar to that used by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) for nuclear energy inspections, or inspection methods of the maritime industry, by establishing a corps of international labour inspectors to monitor the implementation of safety and health standards or those concerning child labour, especially for countries which did not have an efficient labour inspection service. The ILO could make a valuable contribution in this regard but refrained from doing so out of fear of offending some governments. On the question of equal pay for work of equal value, decisions based on criteria adopted by the European Court of Justice should be applicable across national boundaries and the ILO could assist in cross-national comparability of such criteria.

Mr. Hoffmann responded that the capacity and knowledge to carry out measurements of the public sector existed within the ILO. The quality of statistics, however, depended on that of management and, more particularly, on the state of bookkeeping at the national level; if deficient for any reason, the quality of the statistics would be low. The ILO provided assistance to countries to measure -- through the use of statistical instruments -- the number and characteristics of public sector workers or the recourse of child labour, but the extent of their use depended on the technical and financial capacity at national level and on the capacity of the ILO to backstop these efforts. Mr. Courdouan noted that the response to many of the questions and comments was highly political and should be answered at the level of the International Labour Organization and not the Office. While labour inspection services existed almost everywhere, and almost 130 countries had ratified Convention No. 81, these services sometimes represented only a facade without adequate means or resources. Perhaps the workers could assist by indicating to the ILO which countries did not have adequate labour inspection services, so that the ILO's efforts could be redirected. At present, for example, a number of African countries were making considerable progress in this field despite the high costs involved and severe budgetary limitations. The idea to make national labour administrations responsible for the application of the ILO's Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work and its Follow-up (1998) had not been retained by the International Labour Conference but could be considered as a tool to reinforce the position of national administrations, avoid charges of international interference, yet be a useful means for international monitoring of the Declaration. Ms. Thomas agreed that more could be done to share the positive decisions and experiences on equal pay arising from the European Court of Justice, national courts or negotiated agreements; the ILO had in fact decided to participate more actively in such information-sharing, particularly in acquiring and disseminating knowledge on criteria and methodologies which could be transferable in sector-specific situations. An example was cited of initial work by the ILO to eliminate wage differentials in the sugar industry in Barbados which might now be applied to the same industry in Mauritius, including its tripartite methodology.

In response to a question from another observer about means to avoid overlap among statistical services of international organizations, Mr. Hoffmann stated that structures or means existed at several levels, within the United Nations (the ACC Committee on Statistics) which had accorded the ILO responsibility for labour statistics, as well as between international and regional bodies (e.g. EUROSTAT, OECD, MERCOSUR, etc.). The structures functioned better with regard to developing statistical tools than as concerns efforts to collect and disseminate statistics internationally, as such organizations sometimes catered to a different public, but most complaints arose in fact between national statistical bodies.

In response to another question from the same observer concerning differences between regulation by public and private inspection services, Mr. Courdouan commented that the differences between the two emerged in part from the differences in the adoption of the relevant international standards -- Convention No. 81 adopted in 1947 for commercial services and the Protocol adopted in 1995 extending the Convention to public services -- and in the practices emerging between a long tradition in the inspection of commercial operations, at least in developed countries, and a relatively new and still limited tradition for the public service, both in terms of geographical coverage and subject matter (essentially occupational safety and health). He underlined at the same time the near universal adoption of the 1995 Protocol at the International Labour Conference.

Another observer recalled that structural adjustment had pushed workers in developing countries into informal sector employment and that women in particular faced discrimination in training and access to credit within this framework. How could the important role played by women in national development be recognized? Ms. Thomas noted that the response would have to originate at different levels, among which assistance for income-generating and small business projects addressed to women entering the informal sector (access to training, credits and markets), including prohibitions against discrimination in lending, but the lack of regulation of the informal sector generally impeded such efforts.

A Worker member supported previous comments about public sector employment practices and noted that for some years in his country, thousands of young people had been recruited for work with judicial authorities on specific tasks without salaries or benefits, with the prospect of regular employment once they had gained sufficient experience. Despite repeated denunciations by trade unions, the practice had intensified and many young people continued to perform normal work for years without remuneration and dwindling prospects of proper employment; such a practice should be denounced in this forum.

Closing speeches

The Secretary-General noted that in the various plenary debates, the working party on conclusions and the panel discussions, the exchange of information, ideas and experiences had clarified the challenges which the public service faced in the processes of structural change and transition and how they impacted on human resource development in the public service. The Meeting had adopted a set of conclusions which would provide judicious and valuable guidance to government policy- and decision-makers, trade union leaders and other interested parties as they sought ways of addressing the complexity of public service reforms, invigorating social dialogue and promoting the most valuable resources of the public service, its human resources. The conclusions would also assist the Governing Body and the Office, especially the Sectoral Activities Department, in setting up and implementing a useful programme of work for the public service. Furthermore, the cooperation which had already been initiated between the ILO, the World Bank and the World Health Organization in this sector would contribute to integrating the ILO's values and experiences in the processes of change.

Ms. Ramsingh (representative of the Government of South Africa; Chairperson of the Government group) expressed her group's appreciation for a Meeting which was important not only for the value of shared experience but also for the mutual understanding and respect that emerged between the parties present. She thanked the members of both groups for their assistance and participation throughout the Meeting as well as the Working Party members for their commitment and dedication in producing a high standard document. She also thanked the Chairperson and the other officers for their contributions to the successful outcome of the Meeting.

Ms. Caird (Chairperson of the Workers' group) expressed her group's satisfaction with the results of the Meeting; they were particularly pleased that these results had built on the work previously done by the joint meeting held in 1995 under the auspices of the ILO. Of particular importance was the action plan which was elaborated at the end of the conclusions and she hoped that follow-up action would make these conclusions a living document to be applied effectively. A number of steps related to the ILO, and she urged the responsible bodies to facilitate close cooperation between governments and trade unions in these times of upheaval and change. She thanked the Government group for their constructive attitude during the Meeting which seemed to indicate that they also were open to new ways of working and to genuine workers' participation in the changes. Ms. Caird thanked the Chairperson and the other officers of the Meeting for their valuable assistance in the process of what had been complex negotiations.

The Chairperson of the Meeting thanked the other officers for their cooperation and was particularly pleased that the leaders of both the Government and the Workers' groups had been women, a fact which might also have contributed to the excellent results of the Meeting. In his view, the week which was coming to an end would prove to be a very good week for public service workers and for the public service itself. As Chairperson of the Meeting and member of the Governing Body, he pledged to make every possible effort to ensure that follow-up to the conclusions of the Meeting was endorsed by the Governing Body. The Chairperson declared the Joint Meeting on Human Resource Development in the Public Service in the Context of Structural Adjustment and Transition closed.

1. Adopted unanimously.

2. The term "citizen" is used throughout this text in its broadest and most inclusive sense to refer to members of society and not to be a narrow legal definition.

3. The term "citizen" is used in its broadest and most inclusive sense to refer to members of society and not to be a narrow legal definition.

Evaluation questionnaire

Responses to a questionnaire seeking participants' views on various aspects of the Meeting showed their appreciation for the choice of the agenda item, the points for discussion and the conclusions of the Meeting. The consolidated results are reproduced hereafter.

1. How do you rate the Meeting as regards the following?

5

4

3

2

1

Excellent

Good

Satisfactory

Poor

Unsatisfactory

Average score

The choice of agenda item (subject of the Meeting)

10

13

3

0

0

4.3

The points for discussion

3

17

5

1

0

3.9

The quality of the discussion

4

11

9

2

0

3.7

The Meeting's benefits to the sector

2

15

5

1

0

3.8

The conclusions

6

13

6

1

0

3.9

Panel discussion on social dialogue in a changing public service

6

8

5

1

1

3.8

Panel discussion on decentralization processes and human resource development in the public service

1

10

3

5

1

3.3

Panel discussion on the ILO and the public services

3

10

4

2

1

3.6

Opportunity for networking

1

13

7

2

0

3.6

2. How do you rate the quality of the report in terms of the following?

Excellent

Good

Satisfactory

Poor

Unsatisfactory

Average score

Quality of analysis

4

13

8

1

0

3.8

Objectivity

7

13

4

1

0

4.0

Comprehensiveness of coverage

7

11

6

0

1

4.0

Presentation and readability

7

12

5

0

1

4.0

Amount and relevance of information

9

9

6

1

0

4.0

3. How do you consider the time allotted for discussion?

Too much

Enough

Too little

Discussion of the report

2

21

2

Panel discussions

2

21

1

Groups

2

18

2

Working Party on Conclusions

1

17

3

4. How do you rate the practical and administrative arrangements (secretariat, document services, translation, interpretation)?

Excellent

Good

Satisfactory

Poor

Unsatisfactory

Average scrore

14

5

3

1

1

4.3

5. Respondents to the questionnaire

Government

Worker

Observer

Total

11

13

2

66

(Response rate: 29%)

6. Participants at the Meeting

Government

Worker

Observer

Total

37

33

20

90

List of participants
Liste des participants
Lista de participantes

Representative of the Governing Body
of the International Labour Office
Représentant du Conseil d'administration
du Bureau international du Travail
Representante del Consejo de Administración
de la Oficina Internacional del Trabajo

Mr. William Brett, General Secretary, Institution of Professional Managers and Specialists, London, United Kingdom

Members representing governments
Membres représentant les gouvernements
Miembros representantes de los gobiernos

Benin Bénin

M. Jules Oni, directeur du travail, ministère de la Fonction publique et du Travail, Cotonou

Canada Canadá

Ms. Jill Larose, Director, Human Resources Strategy Development, Treasury Board Secretariat of Canada, Ottawa

China Chine

M. Zhang Wei, conseiller, Mission permanente de Chine à Genève
Advisers/Conseillers techniques/Consejeros técnicos
M. Xin Changxing, ministère du Travail et de la Sécurité sociale, Beijing
Ms. Guan Jinghe, Deputy Director, Department of International Cooperation, Ministry of Labour and Social Security, Beijing
Mr. Wang Jindong, Ministry of Labour and Social Security, Beijing
Mr. Li Mingfu, Second Secretary, Permanent Mission of China in Geneva

Colombia Colombie

Sr. César Hernán Castro Cruz, Coordinador Observatorio de Empleo, Ministerio de Trabajo y Seguridad Social, Santafé de Bogotá

Cyprus Chypre Chipre

Ms. Elpiniki Koutouroussi, Administrative Director, Public Administration and Personnel Service, Ministry of Finance, Nicosia

Egypt Egypte Egipto

Mr. Mohamed Tawfik, Counsellor, Permanent Mission of Egypt in Geneva
Adviser/Conseiller technique/Consejera técnica
Ms. Islah Amin, Labour Counsellor, Permanent Mission of Egypt in Geneva

El Salvador

Sra. Marta Edith Domínguez, Coordinadora Nacional de Administración de Recursos Humanos, Ministerio de Hacienda, San Salvador
Adviser and substitute/Conseiller technique et suppléant/Consejero técnico y suplente
Sr. Mario Castro Grande, Ministro Consejero, Misión Permanente de El Salvador en Ginebra

Finland Finlande Finlandia

Ms. Marja Paavilainen, State Employer's Office, Helsinki
Adviser/Conseiller technique/Consejera técnica
Ms. Marjaana Laine, Human Resources Officer, State Employer's Office, Helsinki

Hungary Hongrie Hungría

Mr. Csaba Hende, Political Secretary of State, Ministry of Justice, Budapest
Adviser/Conseiller technique/Consejero técnico
Mr. Zoltán Varga, Counsellor, Permanent Mission of Hungary in Geneva

India Inde

Mr. Ajit Nimbalkar, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Labour, New Delhi

Republic of Korea République de Corée República de Corea

Mr. Kim Youn-Chul, Counsellor, Permanent Mission of the Republic of Korea in Geneva
Advisers/Conseillers techniques/Consejeros técnicos
Mr. Jung Mino, Assistant Director, Labour Policy Bureau, Ministry of Labour, Kwachun City
Mr. Kim Dae-Hwan, Third Secretary, Permanent Mission of the Republic of Korea in Geneva

Panama Panamá

Sr. Ricardo Monterrey Calderón, Coordinador de Oficinas Regionales, Ministerio de Trabajo y Desarrollo Laboral, Panamá

Philippines Filipinas

Ms. Regina Irene Sarmiento, Labor Attaché, Permanent Mission of the Philippines in Geneva

Poland Pologne Polonia

Mr. Remigiusz Henczel, Counsellor, Permanent Mission of Poland in Geneva

Russian Federation Fédération de Russie Federación de Rusia

Mr. Alexandre Zhdanov, Chairman, Committee of Labour and Employment, Moscow
Advisers/Conseillers techniques/Consejeros técnicos
Mr. Igor Nechaev, Chief, International Cooperation Department, Committee of Labour and Employment, Moscow
Mr. Alexei Lyjenkov, First Secretary, Permanent Mission of the Russian Federation in Geneva

South Africa Afrique du Sud Sudáfrica

Ms. Odette Ramsingh, Deputy Director-General (Acting), Public Service Commission, Ministry for Public Service and Administration, Pretoria
Adviser/Conseiller technique/Consejero técnico
Mr. Mxolisi Nkosi, Counsellor (Labour), Permanent Mission of South Africa in Geneva

Sweden Suède Suecia

Ms. Agneta Holmström, Administrative Director, Development Council, Ministry of Labour, Stockholm

Thailand Thaïlande Tailandia

Mr. Sarun Charoensuwan, First Secretary, Permanent Mission of Thailand in Geneva

Trinidad and Tobago Trinité-et-Tobago Trinidad y Tabago

Ms. Mary-Ann Richards, Deputy Permanent Representative, Permanent Mission of Trinidad and Tobago in Geneva

Zambia Zambie

Mr. Arthur Yoyo, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Labour and Social Security, Lusaka
Advisers/Conseillers techniques/Consejeros técnicos
Mr. Buckley Mwaba, Director for Social Security, Ministry of Labour and Social Security, Lusaka
H.E. Mr. Patrick Sinyinza, Ambassador, Permanent Representative, Permanent Mission of Zambia in Geneva
Ms. Irene Fundafunda, Counsellor, Permanent Mission of Zambia in Geneva

Zimbabwe

Mr. M. Chikorowonda, Counsellor, Permanent Mission of Zimbabwe in Geneva

Members representing the workers
Membres représentant les travailleurs
Miembros representantes de los trabajadores

M^me Claudine Assiba Akakpo, secrétaire confédérale, Confédération syndicale des travailleurs du Togo, Lomé
Mr. S.V. Angappan, General Secretary, Tamil Nadu Electricity Board Accounts and Executive Staff Union, Chennai, India
Sr. Leandro Avila, Secretario General, Federación Nacional de Asociaciones de Empleados Públicos, Panamá
Ms. Jennifer Baptiste, President, Public Services Association, Port-of-Spain, Trinidad and Tobago
Mr. Larry Brown, Secretary Treasurer, National Union of Public and General Employees, Nepean, Ontario, Canada
Adviser/Conseiller technique/Consejero técnico
Mr. David Boys, Officer, Public Services International, Ferney-Voltaire, France
Ms. Wendy Caird, Executive Board Member, Community and Public Sector Union, Sydney, Australia
Adviser/Conseiller technique/Consejero técnico
Mr. Michael S. Waghorne, Assistant General Secretary, Public Services International, Ferney-Voltaire, France
Mr. Davis J. Chingoni, General Secretary, National Union of Public Service Workers, Lusaka, Zambia
Sr. Ricardo Díaz, Presidente, Federación Nacional Unitaria de Trabajadores y Profesionales del Estado, los Servicios Públicos y la Comunidad (FUTEC), Bogotá, Colombia
Sr. Benigno E. Fernández Novoa, Secretario General, Coordinadora Latinoamericana de Servidores Públicos (CLASEP), General Roca, Río Negro, Argentina
Mr. Rezso Gal, Federation of Trade Unions in Electric Energy Industry, Budapest, Hungary
Ms. Annie Enriquez Geron, Executive Board Member, Public Sector Labor Integrative Center, Quezon City, Philippines
Ms. Christine Gubitzer, European Federation of Public Service, Public Service Union, Vienna, Austria
Sr. Roger Gutiérrez, Secretario de Organización, Sindicato de Trabajadores del Instituto Nacional de Pensiones de los Empleados Públicos, San Salvador, El Salvador
Mr. Jack Howard, Consultant, American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, Washington, DC
Adviser/Conseiller technique/Consejera técnica
Ms. Marcia Magid, Assistant Director, Research, American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, Washington, DC
Mr. Ivica Ihas, Trade Union of State and Local Government Employees, Sindikat Drzavnih I Lokalnih Sluzbenika, Zagreb, Croatia
Adviser/Conseiller technique/Consejero técnico
Mr. George Grlica, Onex/Geneva
Mr. Banyat Klunsuwan, General Secretary, National Housing Authority State Enterprise Employees' Association, Bangkok, Thailand
M^me Nicole Kokoye Quenum, greffier, Syndicat national des travailleurs des services judiciaires, Cotonou, Bénin
Ms. Vlasta Kuzmová, President, Slovak Trade Union of Workers in Services, Bratislava
Mr. Mzwadile Sam Mazabane, Member of National Training Board, South African Municipal Workers' Union (SAMWU), Athlone
Mr. William L. McDonald, President, Bahamas Public Services Union, Nassau
Adviser/Conseiller technique/Consejera técnica
Ms. Synida Dorsett, Secretary General, Bahamas Public Services Union, Nassau
Ms. Merphet Bastamy Moussa, Health Service, GTUHS, Cairo, Egypt
Ms. Martha Opoi, Assistant Treasurer, Uganda Electricity and Allied Workers' Union, Jinga
M. Guy Rasneur, Vice-président, Fédération des syndicats chrétiens des services publics, Bruxelles, Belgique
Ms. Jutta Schmidt, Gewerkschaft Öffentliche Dienste,Transport und Verkehr, Stuttgart, Germany
Ms. Nina Semenenko, Vice-President, United Trade Union of Public Service Employees of Russia, Moscow
Mr. Kurt Söderberg, National Officer, Swedish Municipal Workers' Union (KOMMUNAL), Stockholm
Ms. Kristina Spassova, President, National Services Union, Podkrepa, Sofia, Romania
Mr. Ahmad Shah Mohd Zin, International Federation Public Service Employees (MKTR), Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Others
Autres
Otros

Representative of a member State present at the sittings
Représentant d'un Etat Membre présent aux séances
Representante de un Estado Miembro presente en las sesiones

Congo

M. Christophe Olea, directeur de la formation continue, ministère de la Fonction publique et des Réformes administratives, Brazzaville

Representatives of United Nations, specialized agencies and other official international organizations
Représentants des Nations Unies, des institutions spécialisées
et d'autres organisations internationales officielles
Representantes de las Naciones Unidas, de los organismos especializados
y de otras organizaciones internacionales oficiales

Arab Labour Organization
Organisation arabe du travail
Organización Arabe del Trabajo

M. Adnan El-Telawi, chef de la Délégation permanente, Genève

World Bank
Banque mondiale
Banco Mundial

Mr. Gordon Betcherman, Washington, DC

World Health Organization
Organisation mondiale de la santé
Organización Mundial de la Salud

Dr. H.W. Schmidtkunz, Technical Officer, Department of Health Systems, Geneva

Representatives of non-governmental international organizations
Représentants d'organisations internationales non gouvernernementales
Representantes de organizaciones internacionales no gubernamentales

Confederación Latinoamericana de Trabajadores Estatales

Sr. Luis Bazzano Ambronosi, Secretario Ejecutivo Región Cono Sur, Montevideo, Uruguay
Sr. Julio Alfredo Bertomeu, Secretario Administrativo y Finanzas, Buenos Aires, Argentina

European Confederation of Independent Trade Unions
Confédération européenne des syndicats indépendants
Confederación Europea de Sindicatos Independientes

M^me Ilse Schedl, secrétaire générale, Bruxelles

General Confederation of Trade Unions
Confédération générale des syndicats
Confederación General de Sindicatos

M. Anatoly Prokhorov, chef adjoint du département économique, Moscou
M. Pavel Kuziakov, expert du département international, Moscou

International Confederation of Free Trade Unions
Confédération internationale des syndicats libres
Confederación Internacional de Organizaciones Sindicales Libres

Mr. Dan Cunniah, Director, Geneva
Ms. Anna Biondi, Assistant Director, Geneva

International Confederation of Public Servants
Confédération internationale des fonctionnaires

M. Pierre Trausch, président, Luxembourg

International Council of Nurses
Conseil international des infirmières
Consejo Internacional de Enfermeras

Ms. Mireille Kingma, Nurse Consultant, Geneva

International Federation of Employees in Public Service (INFEDOP)
Fédération internationale du personnel des services publics (INFEDOP)
Federación Internacional del Personal de los Servicios Públicos (INFEDOP)

M. Guy Rasneur, vice-président, Bruxelles
M. Bert Van Caelenberg, secrétaire général, Bruxelles

International Federation of Training and Development Organisations
Fédération internationale des organisations de formation et de développement

Mr. David Waugh, Secretary General, Alexandria, Virginia, United States
Ms. Annette Hartenstein, Alexandria, Virginia, United States

International Federation of University Women
Fédération internationale des femmes diplômées des universités
Federación Internacional de Mujeres Universitarias

Ms. Conchita Poncini, Coordinator of UN/ILO Representatives, Troinex
M^me Christiane Privat, Vessy

Public Services International
Internationale des services publics
Internacional de Servicios Públicos

Mr. Hans Engelberts, General Secretary, Ferney-Voltaire
Mr. Alan Leather, Deputy General Secretary, Ferney-Voltaire
Mr. Mike Waghorne, Assistant General Secretary, Ferney-Voltaire

World Confederation of Labour
Confédération mondiale du travail
Confederación Mundial del Trabajo

M^me Béatrice Fauchère, Représentante permanente, Genève

For further information, please contact the Sectoral Activities Department (SECTOR) at Tel: +41.22.799.7513, Fax: +41.22.799.7296 or email: sector@ilo.org

This page was created by BR/CP & RP. It was approved by GU/BKN. It was last updated on Fri, 9 Jul 1999.

Government group
	Chairperson:	Ms. O. Ramsingh (South Africa)
	Vice-Chairperson:	Mr. C. H. Castro Cruz (Colombia)
	Secretary:	Ms. I. Amin (Egypt)
Workers' group
	Chairperson:	Ms. W. Caird
	Vice-Chairpersons:	Ms. C. Gubitzer, Mr. S. Mazabane
	Secretary:	Mr. H. Engelberts (Public Services International)

Moderator:	Ms. J. Larose, Government Vice-Chairperson of the Meeting
Panellists:	Mr. Z. Shaheed, Labour Law and Labour Relations Branch, ILO, Geneva Mr. G. Betcherman, Social Protection Unit, Human Development Network, World Bank, Washington, DC.

Moderator:	Ms. A. Enriquez Geron, Worker Vice-Chairperson of the Meeting
Panellists:	Mr. F. Thedieck, Director, Public Administration Promotion Centre (DSE/ZÖV), Berlin, Germany Ms. R. Figueroa de Jain, Coordinadora Técnica, ICAP, San José, Costa Rica Mr. T. Alfthan, Training Policies and Systems Branch, ILO, Geneva

1. How do you rate the Meeting as regards the following?
	5	4	3	2	1
	Excellent	Good	Satisfactory	Poor	Unsatisfactory	Average score
The choice of agenda item (subject of the Meeting)	10	13	3	0	0	4.3
The points for discussion	3	17	5	1	0	3.9
The quality of the discussion	4	11	9	2	0	3.7
The Meeting's benefits to the sector	2	15	5	1	0	3.8
The conclusions	6	13	6	1	0	3.9
Panel discussion on social dialogue in a changing public service	6	8	5	1	1	3.8
Panel discussion on decentralization processes and human resource development in the public service	1	10	3	5	1	3.3
Panel discussion on the ILO and the public services	3	10	4	2	1	3.6
Opportunity for networking	1	13	7	2	0	3.6
2. How do you rate the quality of the report in terms of the following?
	Excellent	Good	Satisfactory	Poor	Unsatisfactory	Average score
Quality of analysis	4	13	8	1	0	3.8
Objectivity	7	13	4	1	0	4.0
Comprehensiveness of coverage	7	11	6	0	1	4.0
Presentation and readability	7	12	5	0	1	4.0
Amount and relevance of information	9	9	6	1	0	4.0
3. How do you consider the time allotted for discussion?
	Too much	Enough	Too little
Discussion of the report	2	21	2
Panel discussions	2	21	1
Groups	2	18	2
Working Party on Conclusions	1	17	3
4. How do you rate the practical and administrative arrangements (secretariat, document services, translation, interpretation)?
	Excellent	Good	Satisfactory	Poor	Unsatisfactory	Average scrore
	14	5	3	1	1	4.3

5. Respondents to the questionnaire
Government	Worker	Observer	Total
11	13	2	66	(Response rate: 29%)
6. Participants at the Meeting
Government	Worker	Observer	Total
37	33	20	90