Implementation of Civil Service Act faces snag

By Our Correspondent,Hetauda, Aug,1: The Province Civil Service Act has not been fully implemented due to the non-formulation of Province Civil Service Regulations.

Even though it has been five months since the Province Civil Service Act was enacted, the Act has not been fully implemented in absence of the regulations. 

The Joint Trade Union network of public service employees under the Bagmati Province has demanded the province government issue the regulations within a month.

Achyut Lamichhane, a member of the network staff organisation, says that due to the lack of provincial civil service regulations, the law, which was passed long ago, has not been fully implemented. 

He said that the lack of regulation regarding employee leave and other issues, employees have been facing a lot of problems.

The ordinance made to regulate the formation, operation, and conditions of service of the province civil 

service was first issued by the province government on April 7, 2022, and reissued on August 17, 2022, after the earlier one was not approved by the provincial assembly.

The Provincial Civil Service Bill 2022, which was introduced to replace the ordinance, was approved by the Provincial Assembly in the first week of January and was registered in the Provincial Assembly on February 17. 

After the discussion, it was passed on February 27, 2023, suspending the rules in the provincial assembly regulations, and certified by the head of the province on March 12, 2023.

The Trade Union Network has put forward 10-point demand, including the release of the Organization and Management (ONM) with the required staff for the provincial government within mid-July and the process of filling the vacant posts. 

It has suggested that after the adjustment process in the province is over and when the employees are available in the province, there should be a mechanism to assign them to work from the union.

The employees, who have been promoted to the 11th level according to the provincial civil service,  should be posted as provincial secretaries, and accounting unit offices should be established in all districts of the province.

Similarly, until the election of the official trade union, the joint trade union network has demanded that the provincial government form an official trade union of the provincial civil servants in coordination with the active joint trade unions in the province, and that temporary, contract and salaried employees be made permanent upon completion of the process.