The Presidential Office yesterday said the Executive and Examination branches of government did not have differing opinions on an initiative to revamp the civil servant evaluation system.
President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) made the comment despite the fact that the Examination Yuan’s proposed amendments to the Civil Servants Evaluation Act (公務人員考績法) have recently drawn criticism from public servants and stirred heated debate between the Executive and Examination Yuan.
Presidential Office Spokesman Lo Chih-chiang (羅智強) yesterday quoted Ma as saying that the main purpose of the evaluation system was to ensure hard-working civil servants were properly rewarded and poor ones removed, thereby boosting morale and improving efficiency. Lo said Ma thought the current evaluation system was unfair to those who work hard and failed to take action against those unfit for their jobs.
“The opinions of the Executive and Examination Yuan do not differ in this regard,” Lo quoted Ma as saying. “I believe the Examination Yuan will work out something that will win the backing of both public servants and the Legislative Yuan.”
Currently, the performance of civil servants is evaluated using a four-scale system that goes from A to D. Those who receive a “C” grade do not get a pay increase or bonus, while those who receive a “D” are dismissed. The proposed amendment requires that at least 3 percent of the staff at a government agency be given a “C” grade in the year-end evaluation, and that employees who receive a “C” rating three times during their career should be laid off or forced into early retirement.
Premier Wu Den-yih (吳敦義) has expressed support reform of the system, but opposed the Examination Yuan’s proposal. Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) supported the premier’s position.
Ma is firmly behind the initiative to revamp the evaluation system, but emphasized that the measures adopted must be constitutional. He also suggested that the Examination Yuan to hold public hearings to explain the proposal and solicit more support from public servants.
Lo yesterday quoted Ma as saying that policy issues must be debated before they become policies. The government must also consult with different agencies before it determines policies.
The overhaul of the civil servant evaluation system must be objective and feasible, he said, adding that there must be a mechanism in place to protect the legal rights of civil servants and severely reprimand supervisors who unfairly evaluate those under them.
ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY CNA
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