The
Public Service Commission (PSC) has expressed concerns over the findings in their Report on Grievance Trends in the Public Service.
One of the key responsibilities of the PSC is the promotion of sound labour relations. The PSC has developed Grievance Rules which require departments to report to the PSC on a six monthly basis concerning the complaints they have handled. Based on these reports and the grievances dealt with by the PSC directly, the commission is in a position to reflect critically on the causes of grievances and the manner in which they are managed in the Public Service.
A total of 4 476 grievances were lodged by public servants between January 2005 and June 2006. These figures may not be an accurate representation of unhappiness as some people may not have submitted formal complaints. Overall, dissatisfaction with performance assessments in departments was consistently ranked the highest cause of grievances, followed by salary matters and recruitment and selection, respectively. A
Business Day article states that the PSC expressed concern about the number of cases reported to it because they indicated a high level of dissatisfaction in the public service. The PSC emphasise that it is important for the departments to constantly monitor the causes of grievances lodged with them as “failure to address unhappiness in the workplace poses a threat to overall service delivery”.
