Govt says it is committed to union consultation on civil service reform

The Gibraltar Government insisted yesterday that the Chief Secretary, the civil service and all areas of the public sector have its full support.
Reacting to criticism from unions over plans for civil service reform announced by Chief Secretary Darren Grech earlier this week, the government insisted that unions would be fully consulted as part of the process.
“Everything we have done in government that has had, or had the potential of having, an impact on the civil service and the wider public sector, has been done in consultation with the unions,” said Chief Minister Fabian Picardo.
“That has always been the way of my government, and so will it continue to be.”
Reacting to criticism too from GSD Leader Keith Azopardi, Mr Picardo insisted that the GSLP/Liberals’ commitment to an “independent, efficient, well-trained and effective” civil service and public sector had been set out in successive manifestoes.
The manifesto for this year’s election stated that the Alliance proposed a major reform project “in partnership with all the relevant unions” to modernise services against the backdrop of an increasingly flexible and diverse economy.
The Alliance was also committed to proper succession planning.
“I don’t know if the Leader of the Opposition cared to consider a manifesto other than his own in the run up to the election, but our commitment to the civil service is clear and unequivocal,” Mr Picardo said.
“One of his first statements since the election, it suggests he has not even read our programme for government chosen by more than double the number of people who voted for him.”
“Indeed, the Chief Secretary himself, in his first statement this week, made clear that this project will be conducted in consultation with the unions, leaving no room, in my view, for the suggestion that anything is being railroaded days after an election.”
“The suggestion by Mr Azopardi that [the Gibraltar Government] is not, or will not be, consulting with the unions is entirely to be dismissed as nothing more than political posturing which will be seen for the cynical ploy that it is.”