Govt says overtime reforms predate audit report, but GSD unconvinced 

The Gibraltar Government said reform measures to control excessive overtime totaling £19m were in place before publication of the Principal Auditor’s report for 2018/19, which highlighted the issue. 

No.6 Convent Place was reacting after the audit report revealed overtime spend of £19m annually, with some top earners in the public sector more than doubling their salaries with overtime hours. 

But the GSD replied that the Government had failed to control excessive overtime, despite its assertion that it had. 

The audit report found that the yearly total overtime bill over the last six financial years has been over £19m annually, except for 2021/22, when the sum was £18.31m. 

In response, the Government confirmed that new controls on public sector overtime were already implemented prior to the release of the former Principal Auditor’s report last week. 

On April 29, the Chief Secretary issued Circular No. 09 of 2025, introducing a revised approval system aimed at ensuring overtime is used only when strictly necessary.  

Under the new system, all overtime must be explicitly approved in advance, with requests submitted via a Microsoft form at least five working days before the work is due to take place.  

Each request is reviewed by a central team from the Chief Secretary’s Office and the Financial Secretary’s Office to ensure compliance. 

Emergency overtime can be approved but must be justified within 48 hours.  

Retrospective claims are no longer permitted under any circumstances.  

In addition, officers earning more than £79,837 per year are no longer eligible for overtime or time off in lieu. 

According to the Government, the measures are part of a broader post-pandemic initiative to enhance financial discipline and increase efficiency across the public sector.  

Officials said the reforms addressed many of the issues later highlighted in the former Principal Auditor’s report, which was published after the new controls had already come into effect. 

The Government expressed regret that the report did not reflect the steps already taken to improve oversight but reaffirmed its commitment to responsible management of public resources. 

But on Wednesday, the GSD hit out at the Government for the overtime spend which the party called a “failure” that had cost the taxpayer millions of pounds. 

Leader of the Opposition, Keith Azopardi said the taxpayer was bailing out the GSLP/Liberal Government from its inability to properly control excessive overtime.  

“This means there is less money for you, for investment or for pay rises or tax reductions,” he said. 

“This is now endemic, happening every year and not being curbed despite successive warnings from the Principal Auditor.”  

The audit report outlined how considerable savings could be made to the taxpayer with the introduction of better controls and addressing understaffing in government departments and statutory bodies. 

The party said this is not the first time the former auditor had highlighted issues of excessive or uncontrolled overtime.  

“He did so in the reports for 2016/17 and 2017/18 in respect of the Ministry for the Environment,” the GSD said. 

“Last year when the GSD raised those concerns and asked Government to tackle these issues the Government gave assurances in February 2024 that they had tackled these and that they were historic.” 

The party cited how the Government had enforced a ban on discretionary overtime and put in place strict measures to ensure that even mandatory emergency overtime is justified in detail and approved by senior management.  

The GSD said the latest audit report revealed that issues remained uncontrolled and that any measures announced last year have had “little effect”.  

“This is yet another example of a Government unable or unwilling to make the changes that in overall terms would save the taxpayer money which could be used to improve public services or for tax reductions or for wage rises,” Mr Azopardi said. 

“This is why people are bearing the brunt of the GSLP’s financial mismanagement at a time of rising prices.” 

“There is a catalogue of waste and financial mismanagement that the Government are simply not tackling in any meaningful way. This is hurting you and your families.”