Archive:Public employment - Cyprus

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This article is part of a set of background articles and introduces the public employments statistics in the Member State of the European Union (EU), Cyprus.

Regional and administrative organisation

Introduction

Cyprus is the third largest island in the Mediterranean, after Sicily and Sardinia. It is a member of the United Nations, the Council of Europe, the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe, the Commonwealth and other international and regional Organisations. It joined the European Union in 2004. However, the application of the EU acquis communautaire was suspended in the occupied areas because they are not under the effective control of the Government of the Republic of Cyprus.

System of government

The Republic of Cyprus is organized according to the 1960 Constitution, which distributed power between the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot communities and established the principle of division of powers.

Executive Power: The Republic of Cyprus has a presidential system of governance; Executive Power is vested in the President of the Republic, elected by popular vote for a five-year term of office. Executive Power is exercised by the Council of Ministers. This body is responsible for the governance of the Republic, coordinating and supervising public services, processing the budget and accounts prior to their presentation to the House of Representatives. There are currently eleven Ministries.

Legislative Power is exercised by the House of Representatives. The House has 80 seats: 56 for Greek Cypriot candidates and 24 for Turkish Cypriot candidates, who are elected by direct and secret universal suffrage for a five-year term. The last parliamentary elections were held on 21 May 2006. The distribution of seats by party was as follows: AKEL 31,16% (18 seats), DISY 30,33% (18 seats), DIKO 17,91% (11 seats), EDEK 8,91% (5 seats), EUROKO 5,73% (3 seats) and ECOLOGISTS 1,95% (1 seat).

Judiciary Power: Under the Constitution of the Republic of Cyprus the judiciary is established as a separate power, independent from the other two powers of the state and autonomous in its sphere of competence authority and jurisdiction. Courts are organized on a two-tier system: The Supreme Court and the First Instance Courts (District Courts, Assize Courts etc.).

Independent Bodies: There are also some independent bodies which do not come under any Ministry, such as the Attorney-General’s Office, the Auditor-General´s Office and the Public Service Commission.

There are also Semi-Governmental Organizations created by specific legislation, governed by a Board of Governors appointed by the Council of Ministers which are responsible for the provision of essential services in areas such as: port authority, sport, telecommunications, tourism, etc.

Regional organization

The Republic of Cyprus is divided into six administrative districts: Nicosia, Famagusta, Limassol, Paphos, Larnaca and Kyrenia. Each district is headed by a central government representative, who is the chief coordinator and liaison for the activities of all Ministries in the District and is accountable to the Ministry of the Interior.

Cyprus has two types of local authorities: Municipalities and Communities, which are governed by separate laws. In principle, Municipalities constitute the form of local government in urban and tourist centres while communities constitute the local structure in rural areas.

Municipalities represent 60% of the population and the 353 Councils of the Communities represent the remaining 40%. The functions of the Municipalities are set out in the 1985 Municipalities Law, which stipulates that any community may become a municipality by local referendum provided it has more than 5,000 inhabitants. From a financial point of view, the main sources of revenue of municipalities are taxes, fees and duties, as well as state subsidies. Since the Turkish invasion of 1974 and the subsequent occupation of the northern part of Cyprus by Turkey, nine municipalities (Famagusta, Kyrenia, Morphou, Kythrea, Karavas, Lapithos, Lefkoniko, Akanthou and Lyssi) have been temporarily relocated to the areas that are under the effective control of the Government.

Figure 1: Map of Cyprus

Public employment structure

Regulation: The Public Service Law of 1990 to 2009 regulates the type of employment, categories, grades and public posts. Public posts are defined to be posts in the public service. Civil/Public Service means any service under the Republic excluding the Judicial Service, Arm or Security Forces, Education Service, Local Authorities and specific constitutional posts (e.g. Attorney General, Auditor General).

The Public Service Law regulates the functioning of the Public Service Commission, establishes the public sector structure, the system of recruitment, promotion, mobility, obligations, etc. It is applied to all public employees, except those that are not under the jurisdiction of the aforementioned Commission (officers in the judicial service, education, Armed Forces or Security Forces, etc., which are governed by a specific legislation). Employees in semi-governmental organisations and local authorities are also governed by specific legislation.

Public posts may be permanent or temporary. They are created by the Budget Law, specifying their job title and corresponding salary, as well as the maximum number of positions. An employee holding a permanent post is entitled to a retirement pension. Posts are divided into those which are interchangeable and those which are not. The former include the following general categories: Administrative, Clerical and Auxiliary. The remaining posts are not interchangeable.

The Public Service Commission is responsible for the appointment, promotion, transfer, secondment, retirement and the disciplinary control of public officers and comprises a President and four other members, appointed by the President of the Republic for a six-year term. Its members are subject to an extensive set of incompatibilities, such as exercising a paid profession or commercial activity, without the express authorisation of the Council of Ministers.

The general obligations and responsibilities of a specific post and the qualifications required for its performance are set out in service sheets (Schemes of Service) prepared by the Council of Ministers and approved by the House of Representatives.

Posts are divided into the following categories for the purposes of appointment: First Entry posts to which internal as well as external candidates may be appointed; First Entry and Promotion posts to which external candidates may be appointed and internal candidates may be appointed or promoted; Promotion posts are filled internally by the promotion of candidates from the immediately lower grade, without the need for prior advertisement. Promotion is based on the principles of merit, qualifications and seniority.

The Public Service Law also provides for the establishment of Advisory Committees that assist the Commission to fill First Entry or First Entry and Promotion posts, by executing the first screening of candidates.

The Commission shall not proceed to fill any vacancy in any public post without a written proposal from the competent authority (Minister). Proposals to fill vacancies must be made within a maximum period of four months, from the creation of the post or from the time it becomes vacant. Notwithstanding the above, all First Entry posts which are expected to become vacant by the end of the year are published by the Public Service Commission in the Official Gazette within the first four months in each year.

To be appointed, a civil servant must:

Be a citizen of the Republic of Cyprus or provided that the post does not entail direct or indirect participation in the exercise of public authority and the protection of the general state interests, an EU State citizen.

Be over the age of 17 and have completed military service, or be exempted from doing so (for Cypriot citizens).

Have the qualifications required in the Scheme of Service.

Not have been convicted of a serious moral or dishonest offence.

Not have been dismissed or his services were not terminated in the past from the public service or from any service or organisation governed by public law of the Republic or of the European Union or of any member state, for a disciplinary offence.

Not be officially recognised as incapacitated for the post.

The Council of Ministers may authorise, on grounds of public interest, the appointment of candidates that are not citizens of the Republic of Cyprus or another EU State. Their appointment shall be under a fixed-term contract, or permanent if the candidate already served, under a contract, for a period of no less than four years.

Rights, obligations, principles and values

Civil servants have the right to strike, join a union and the right of freedom of expression (except for issues related with their duties). On the other hand, they must be impartial; serve public interests; avoid conflicts of interest; abide by the Constitution and follow the law and orders, serve citizens objectively, fairly, impersonally and impartially and act with dignity. Failure to do so shall be sanctioned with:

a. Reprimand.

b. Severe reprimand.

c. Disciplinary transfer.

d. Stoppage of annual increment.

e. Deferment of annual increment.

f. Fine not exceeding the emoluments of three months.

g. Demotion in salary scale.

h. Demotion to a lower post.

i. Compulsory retirement.

j. Dismissal.

Learning and training in the civil service

The Cyprus Academy of Public Administration, which was established in 1991, is the Learning and Development Centre of the Cyprus Civil Service. In 2001, the Academy launched the “Learning Initiative in the Cyprus Civil Service”. The overall aim of this initiative is to help Civil Service Organisations build their capacity to manage by themselves their own learning, so that the Service moves from a situation of a largely unsystematic and centralised administration of learning to a largely decentralised system of methodical management of learning. In the context of this initiative, each Civil Service organisation has to develop a Learning Policy and set up a Learning Unit, a team that has to manage the organisation’s learning along lines set out in the organisation’s Learning Policy. More specifically, on an annual basis, each Learning Unit has to conduct a Learning Needs Analysis (LNA), prepare a plan of learning activities to meet the needs diagnosed, implement the activities planned and evaluate the work done and draw lessons for improvement.

In this context, the Academy provides appropriate training for the Learning Unit members, gives on-the-job support to the Learning Units and prepares and implements, either directly or through outsourcing, training activities for specific horizontal needs that Civil Service organisations may have. In the cases of outsourcing, the activities are prepared by the provider in cooperation with the Academy, in order to guarantee quality. Non-horizontal, specialised training is organised by Learning Units themselves, either directly or by means of outsourcing.

Until today, out of a total of around 80 Civil Service organisations, 40 have a functioning Learning Unit, systematically managing their learning, that is, carrying out LNA, preparing and implementing action plans and evaluating training activities.

Remuneration

The Law on State Budgets sets the salary scales in the civil service. Within the general salary framework, each position has a scale or a combination of scales, ranging from A1 (entry level scale for positions with minimum requirement for employment a high-school certificate) to A16(i) (highest scale for Directors of relatively small Departments). Directors of large Departments, Directors – General of Ministries and employees at other high level positions receive a fixed salary. The annual gross salary of civil servants in Cyprus consists of a basic salary (Scales A1 to A16(i) or fixed salaries for managerial position) as stated in the Budget, increased by the approved salary increases and the cost of living allowance.

Social dialogue and system of representation

The terms and conditions of employment of public servants are set out in the Public Service Law. Based on the legal provision of this Law, special Regulations have been issued for each benefit (pension benefits are set out in the Pension Law). For the formulation or any modifications that affects the terms and conditions of employment of the public employees, the government has to negotiate with the public servants’ trade union that is the Pancyprian Union of Public Servants (PASYDY), with the aim to come to an agreed formula. Doctors are represented by another union.

There is the right to collective consultations, to strike (but with restrictions for judges, the armed forces, police and fire-fighters) and to reach collective agreements, etc. The negotiations take place centrally, under the Joint Staff Committee. The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Finance (Head of the Joint Staff Committee) and the Director of the Public Administration and Personnel Department represent the government side.

The trade unions of other government employees (not civil servants) are: Pancyprian Organization of Greek Teachers; Organization of Secondary Education Greek Teachers, etc.

The decisions of the Joint Staff Committee are put before the Council of Ministers as recommendations. Once approved, the majority of them are implemented through the laws and regulations. Generally, social dialogue is highly centralised.

Senior civil servants

There is formal status for senior civil servants in Cyprus. (Summary Table)

Figure 2: Senior civil servants

The posts of Senior Officers are mostly Promotion posts (only available to employees providing services in the immediately lower level). The average age of senior civil servants is 40-50 years old.

Statistics: The amount of posts of each of the above functional levels, which are included in the Budget for the Year 2010, are the following:

Directors General of Ministries 12

Directors of Departments/Services 44

Internal Directors of Ministries 258

Chief Officers in Ministries/Departments 132

Senior Officers in Ministries/Departments 602

The percentage of women civil servants in general is 53% and women senior civil servants is 30% (Data: Year 2008).

Performance appraisal in each Ministry/Department is carried out once a year by a 3-party committee, consisting of the immediate supervisor of the employee concerned, the Head of the Division concerned, and the Head of the Department. Most learning activities are offered by the Cyprus Academy of Public Administration, which focuses on Leadership, Strategic Management, Change Management, Planning Teamwork and Human Resource Management.

Work-Life Balance: Senior civil servants are not paid for overtime, unless under extraordinary circumstances and special approval by the Council of Ministers. Tele-working or flexi-time is not possible for SCS.

Maternity/Paternity Leave: The general law applicable both to private and public sectors provides for 18 weeks of maternity leave. For the public servants and other government employees, the first 12 weeks of this leave are on full pay, whilst the remaining 6 weeks is paid under the provisions of the general Social Security Scheme. Currently, there is no provision for Paternity Leave, although there is parental leave, which is applicable both to the private and public sector, whereby the mother or father is allowed up to 13 weeks of unpaid leave of absence for childcare, until the child reaches the age of 6.

There are no mobility programmes for senior civil servants. However, the Director-General posts are interchangeable, upon decision by the Council of Ministers.

Recent reforms and prospects

Citizen Service Centers

The Public Administration and Personnel Department (PAPD), Ministry of Finance, designed and established the Citizen Service Centers (CSCs), in light of its citizen- centric vision of public administration, bringing for the first time in Cyprus the idea of “one-stop-shops” for citizens. In particular, the PAPD´s objective is to improve the quality of services offered to citizens by the public sector, by fully utilising Information and Communications Technology, rendering possible the on-the-spot provision of services and information to citizens from a single point of contact. The PAPD is the competent authority for the supervision, coordination and development of all CSCs.

The main objectives for setting up CSCs are the following:

a. To provide multiple services, on the spot, from one location, using ICT

b. to offer citizens the convenience of meeting their requirements in one stop

c. to provide eGovernment benefits to all population groups

d. to provide another point of contact with the Public Administration (multiple access channels)

e. to minimise bureaucracy

f. to speed up service delivery

In 4 years from the operation of the first CSC in Nicosia, the 5 CSCs now operating on the island have offered 1.238.509 services and have given information over the phone to 776.212 citizens (end of 2009). At present, the five CSCs operating on the island act as an alternative channel for citizens to deal with the public administration.

The CSCs bring together more than 70 public services, which are normally provided by various Ministries, Departments and Services (Civil Registry and Migration Department, District Administrations, Grants and Benefits Service of the Ministry of Finance, Road Transport Department, Social Insurance Services, Lands and Surveys Department, Ministry of Health), under one roof, thus offering citizens the convenience of meeting their requirements in one stop.

Some of the services that are issued on the spot at the CSCs are: Birth and Death Certificates, Civil Identity Card, Medical Card and European Health Insurance Card, Driving Licence, International Driving Licence, Circulation Licence, copies of Cadastral Plan, and Certifications to Insured Persons under the Social Insurance Scheme, Certifications to Self-Employed Persons, Pensioners and Employers.

The PAPD is committed to continue the improvement of the relationship between public administration and citizens, by establishing new CSCs in all areas of Cyprus and by constantly upgrading the already established CSCs. The PAPD has, so far, won three awards/ best practise certificates for establishing and developing the successful institution of the Citizen Service Centres.

Further to the continuous expansion of the CSC network, the PAPD, following a Council of Ministers´ decision, is now in the process of establishing a Contact/ Call Center which will respond to citizen information inquiries regarding public administration, over the pone.

Strengthening the administrative capacity of the civil service

Recently, a project proposal has been approved for the “Re-organisation and improvement of the administrative capacity of the Public Administration and Personnel Department (PAPD) (Ministry of Finance) and the Labour Department (Ministry of Labour and Social Insurance)”. The project falls under the priority axis “Development of Human Capital and Adaptability” (specific objective “Upgrading the administrative capacity of the public sector and its provided services”). The project is part of the Operational Programme “Employment, Human Capital and Social Cohesion 2007-2013”, and is co-financed by the European Social Fund. Its overall objective is the improvement of the provided services and the internal operation of the two aforementioned Departments, as well as the development of a series of methodological tools that will be horizontally implemented, so as to enhance the operation, efficiency and effectiveness of the Organisations (Ministries / Departments) of the Civil Service in Cyprus. The project includes actions relating to:

• The improvement of the efficiency and effectiveness of the Public Administration

• The decentralisation of competences and the enhancement of the strategic role of the PAPD

• The modernisation, simplification and codification of the legal framework

• The simplification of procedures

• The adoption of modern practices, and the use of ICTs

• The introduction of strategic planning methods

The project is already underway and a number of competitions for obtaining the services of Consultants have been procured.

Employee performance appraisal system in the Cyprus public service

A new performance appraisal system has been developed in close cooperation with a private consultancy firm. The basic principles of the system, its objectives and the assessment criteria per level of staff were discussed with the civil servants’ trade union and altered. Based on the agreed assessment criteria, the competency frameworks have been developed for each level of staff, so as to reflect their level of responsibility. In addition, a project plan has been prepared for the finalization of the new appraisal system which includes, amongst others, the finalization of appraisal forms, the preparation of Guidance Notes and the drafting of provisions in the form of regulations/ directives which will be submitted to the Council of Ministers and the House of Representatives for approval. The new appraisal system will be presented to and discussed with the civil servants’ trade union (PASYDY), prior to its submission to the Council of Ministers and the House of Representatives, aiming at reaching a common consensus with regards to the new system.

Common Assessment Framework (CAF)

The Cyprus’ Civil Service has proceeded with the implementation of the CAF in its organizations, on a pilot basis, since 2004. In an effort to further promote the dissemination of CAF in the Cyprus’ Civil Service, discussions have been made concerning the possibility of making CAF implementation compulsory to all public service organizations as part of a project called “Training on Strategy, Leadership and Management Development in the Cyprus’ Civil Service”, which will be co-financed by the EU.

Code of Conduct

A Code of Conduct for Civil Servants is being prepared in cooperation with the Cyprus Ombudswoman. The Code will codify the responsibilities and obligations as well as the expected behaviour of civil servants when dealing with the public. It is expected that the Code will improve the accountability, credibility and transparency of the Civil Service and put pressure on public officers to act more responsibly and, thus, be more trustworthy.

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