USP Alumni discussions on Constitution and 50 years of Self-Government
Questions from the audience raised concerns about the consistency of government policies to support the private sector as well as the concern about the lack of superannuation cover for more than 170 public servants.
The USP Alumni held their second of the series of Panel discussions a few weeks ago about the constitution and 50 years of self-government which was attended by former and current public servants. The topic was on the role and function and the constitutional authority of the Public Service Commission.
Discussions ranged from some of the key events that happened when the Public Service Commission was in Wellington such as the redundancies that took place in the early 1990s that saw a drop in the population when those public servants and their families left the island, and the teachers strike in early two thousands.
The panel included the Chairperson of the Public Service Commissioner Ida Talagi-Hekesi, the Minister of Social Services Hon. Sonya Talagi, the MP from Lakepa and the President of the Niue Youth Council Rhonda Tiakia-Tomailuga, the Deputy SOG Gaylene Tasmania and the government’s Solicitor General- Justin Kamupala.
In the 1992 first amendment to the Niue constitution, the Public Service Commission was localised with the appointment of three commissioners acting primarily as the government’s employing authority.
One of the key events that took place not long after this was the teachers strike in 2000 and several other changes since then including the 4 day week and the transformation of the public sector.
There was some mention of the Report by Dr. Matagialofi Luaiufi who was commissioned in 2011 to review the public service and instigated the transformation project but that report was not made public.
Questions from the audience raised concerns about the consistency of government policies to support the private sector as well as the concern about the lack of superannuation cover for more than 170 public servants.
There was also a concern raised over the lack of insurance for public servants working in high risk areas.
The questions were responded to by the panelists with the Chairperson of the Commission Ida Talagi-Hekesi saying that the work of the Commission is not easy as they have to ensure the the effectiveness and efficiency of the service and also look after the well being of the people who work in the public service.
