The biggest setback for Maldives’ civil service is the low salaries and the meager benefits, a statement released by the Civil Service Commission has said.
In the statement that was released to mark Labour Day, the commission had identified many challenges the commission has to face, of which low incomes for its employees was marked as the biggest impediment.
“[Because of the low salaries] we find it extremely challenging to recruit talented, young individuals for higher posts of the government’s public sector. We also face the problem of able and valuable employees leaving for better paying jobs in other government braches or the private sector,” the statement by the commission read.
Another setback identified by the Civil Service Commission is maintaining its employees morale. The commission had also given potential solutions to this problem which include, building a firm structure where the employees can climb up the ranks through promotions, an apt salary that’s on par with the employees post and responsibilities, a proper day care centre for employees with children, and building a recreation facility especially for civil servants.
While many challenges from the commission’s side were identified, the statement also detailed what it expected from its employees. The Civil Service Commission had urged all of its employees to exercise compassion and kindness when serving the public, and noted that the commission would run more smoothly if its employees were swifter in their daily tasks.
Under a new civil service act, the Maldives Civil Service Commission was established on Labour Day (May Day) nine years ago. The commission now has 24,510 employees under its wing. A whopping 56 per cent of civil servants are women in the Maldives. Further, 38 per cent of the Civil Service Commission’s executives are also women.
The board members of the Civil Service Commission at a meeting in its headquaters / AVAS FILE PHOTO
