FUNCTIONAL
LEvEL TITLE PART OF
THE SCS?
POLITICAL APPOINTMENT
1st Level Secretary of State Yes Yes
2nd Level Director-General Yes Initially Yes
3rd Level Deputy Director-General Yes Initially No
4th Level Head of Division Yes No
5th Level Desk Officer No No
6th Level Assistant Desk Officer No No
7th Level Office Clerk No No
8th Level Messenger No No
Senior Civil Servants are recruited through career progression within the public service.
Access to SCS positions starts at the Head of Division and required regularly verified professional performance with excellent performance appraisals over the years.
Advertising of SCS vacancies is handled differently within the different Ministries: some ministries only advertise them internally. Top SCS positions (particularly Secretaries of State) are regularly recruited on a political basis.
A career path towards a SCS position usually starts with recruitment to the first category or “Higher Service”. The law stipulates the recruitment requirements to the higher civil service, the level and conditions; but there is a great deal of discretion left to the individual Ministries to organize the selection process and evaluation systems.
The average age to enter the SCS is 40-50 years old.
SCS appointments are decided on by the Federal Cabinet on the proposal of the competent Ministry and are permanent appointments in order to ensure a stable and uniform civil service body. However, employment in a SCS position may be terminated (early retirement). Top positions (Secretary of State) are appointed and terminated on a political basis. Higher SCS positions (Director-General or Deputy Director-General, President of Agencies, except the Secretary of State) have to pass a probationary period, which usually lasts two years, in order to evaluate and enhance their management and leadership skills. The appointment is brought into effect through the issue of a certificate of appointment as a civil servant.
Each Ministry manages its staff independently. The Secretary of State is the superior of the Director-General, who in turn is the superior of the Deputy Director-General, etc.
This hierarchical principle applies to all administrative bodies.
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Performance appraisals are carried out regularly every two to three years. For lower SCS positions (Head of Service), appraisals are carried out in accordance with general regulations. Higher SCS positions are sometimes exempt from regular appraisals.
The Federal Academy’s leadership training programmes are constantly updated and enhanced. Training is geared towards the changing profile of modern leadership, which increasingly depends on management skills.
SCS are included in the B (B1-B11) salary categories, which cover seniority positions with a fixed salary. They have the bonuses and performance-related extras that have already been mentioned as well as the possibility of working flexible hours, although this seldom occurs amongst SCS.
8. RECENT REFORMS AND PROSPECTS
In October 2005, a collective agreement between the Federal Government, the Länder and the trade unions came into force for the following reforms:
Establish common legal provisions for all public employees and special employees
•
in certain sectors. (hospitals, airports, etc).
Development of flexible working hours.
•
Performance and experience-related pay.
•
In January 2007, a performance-related pay scheme was introduced for civil servants, with a series of measures aimed at determining pay in accordance with the position.
Statute Reform: This has enabled mobility to different positions and workplaces, even without the civil servant’s agreement, who may be transferred for a period of up to 5 years. It introduces flexibility and allows temporary recruitment as well as
“short-term management positions” “Führungsfunktionen auf Zeit” and “management positions for a probationary period” “Führungsfunktionen auf Probe” (normally 2 years, which may be terminated if performance is not satisfactory). It allows the creation of temporary management positions for two periods of 10 years, and at the end of this term, civil servants must be appointed for life. This regulation is valid for the Länder and is not applied to federal civil servants.
It introduces incentives modifying the principle of salaries due to seniority, as the employee’s performance affects his/her promotion to one pay level or another. The merit or performance limit is 10% of the total pay or 7% of the total salary for each category. Incentives include:
Performance Steps. This allows payment according to a higher scale than the
•
current one until the next level is reached. This is limited to 15% of the staff in each Department. It also rewards excellence and cannot go back over more than 3 months.
90 / PUBLIC EMPLOYMENT IN EUROPEAN UNION MEMBER STATES
Performance Allowances. Additional pay over a short period of time. They are
•
determined in accordance with civil servant appraisals.
Performance –related pay (up to 7% over salary). Linked to results over a period
•
of time (3 months to 1 year).
Workload-related pay. Rewards extra responsibilities over a period of time (from
•
7 months to 5 years).
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GREECE
87
GREECE
1.- REGIONAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE ORGANIZATION INTRODUCTION
Greece is a Parliamentary Republic whose current Constitution (1975) sets out the division of powers (legislative, executive and judiciary) and supports civil freedoms and social rights. It has a population of 11.2 million inhabitants and a surface area of 132,000 square kilometres.
SYSTEM OF GOVERNMENT
The Head of State is the President of the Republic, with eminently formal functions, elected by the Parliament for a 5-year term. Executive Power has been exercised by the Prime Minister and Government since 1986. The electoral system favours single party Governments whereby the figure of Prime Minister usually coincides with the leader of the majority party. Following a vote of confidence from the Parliament, the Prime Minister is appointed by the President of the Republic along with the rest of the members of the government.
A single chamber Parliament made up of 300 members, who are re-elected every 4 years, exercises Legislative Power. The Laws that are passed are enacted by the President. The Judiciary Power is independent from the legislative and executive powers.
REGIONAL ORGANIZATION
Greece is divided into 13 Regions (diamerismata), which are sub-divided into Departments (nomoi). Monte Atos is an autonomous district. The Municipalities or demos (cities with over 100,000 inhabitants) are governed by a Mayor and a City Council, and the Communities of 300 to 10,000 inhabitants are governed by a President and Community Council.
PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION
The administrative system is classical, developed hierarchically from the Minister downwards, passing through Directorate-Generals. However, there is some functional decentralisation in Agencies and Public Law Organizations (especially Public Establishments with more than 50% of the employees).
1. REGIONAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE ORGANIZATION Introduction
Greece is a Parliamentary Republic whose current Constitution (1975) sets out the division of powers (legislative, executive and judiciary) and supports civil freedoms and social rights. It has a population of 11.2 million inhabitants and a surface area of 132,000 square kilometres.
System of government
The Head of State is the President of the Republic, with eminently formal functions, elected by the Parliament for a 5-year term. Executive Power has been exercised by the Prime Minister and Government since 1986. The electoral system favours single party Governments whereby the figure of Prime Minister usually coincides with the leader of the majority party. Following a vote of confidence from the Parliament, the Prime Minister is appointed by the President of the Republic along with the rest of the members of the government.
A single chamber Parliament made up of 300 members, who are re-elected every 4 years, exercises Legislative Power. The Laws that are passed are enacted by the President. The Judiciary Power is independent from the legislative and executive powers.
Regional organization
Greece is divided into 13 Regions (diamerismata), which are sub-divided into Departments (nomoi). Monte Atos is an autonomous district. The Municipalities or demos (cities with over 100,000 inhabitants) are governed by a Mayor and a City Council, and the Communities of 300 to 10,000 inhabitants are governed by a President and Community Council.
Public Administration
The administrative system is classical, developed hierarchically from the Minister downwards, passing through Directorate-Generals. However, there is some functional
92 / PUBLIC EMPLOYMENT IN EUROPEAN UNION MEMBER STATES
decentralisation in Agencies and Public Law Organizations (especially Public Establishments with more than 50% of the employees).