Promoting Employment Equity in the Public

Service Presentation to the Portfolio

Committee, ParliamentBriefing by the Department of Public Service and Administration

Date: 10/09/2003 Time: 11:00 – 13:00

Presentation outlinePresentation outline

Legislative and policy framework State of human resource and employment equity

planning Key interventions flowing from the status report Revised affirmative action targets Collaboration with key stakeholders Intervention strategies: Women and people with

disabilities Concluding remarks

LegislationLegislation

The Constitution of the RSA (1996)

Public Service Act (1994) as amended

Employment Equity Act (1998)

Skills Development Act (1998)

Labour Relations Act (1995)

White Papers/ PoliciesWhite Papers/ Policies

White Paper on the Transformation of the Public

Service(1995)

National Integrated Disability White Paper (1997)

White Paper on Human Resource Management in the

Public Service (1997)

White Paper on Affirmative Action (1998)

Regulations/Collective agreementsRegulations/Collective agreements

Regulations: Public Service Regulations (1999 & 2001) Treasury Regulations (2000) Employment Equity Regulations (2000)

Collective Agreements: PSCBC Resolution 7 of 2002: Framework

agreement on the transformation and restructuring of the Public Service

National audit of management plansNational audit of management plans

A decentralised Public Service management framework implemented with effect from 1 July 1999

Integrated Implementation Programme (IIP) during August to December 1999 in mainly three provinces. Primary aim was to assist departments in those provinces develop strategic plans, organisational structures, service delivery improvement plans and human resource plans

In 2000 DPSA conducted a national audit of management plans and confirmed that HR planning was the weakest link of the four outputs (strategic plan, organisation structure, service delivery improvement programme and HR plan).

State of human resource and employment equity planning State of human resource and employment equity planning in the Public Servicein the Public Service

In 2001, DPSA conducted an assessment on HR planning and employment equity planning and developed a report that reflected the overall state of human resource and employment equity planning in the Public Service.

Data was collated through one national and nine provincial workshops, as well as through questionnaires and telephonic surveys. Thirty-one national departments and 98 provincial departments were engaged.

Amendment of the Public Service Regulations

Linking of human resource plans with strategic planning

(regulation III D.4 of Chapter 1 of the Public Service

Regulations)

Integrating human resource planning with employment equity

as well as affirmative action programmes (regulation III J of

Chapter 1 of the Public Service Regulations)

Key interventions Key interventions flowing from the status reportflowing from the status report

In 2002 DPSA developed and published guidelines on integrated human resource planning for the Public Service A practical guide aimed at assisting departments integrate

human resource, employment equity and training plans into one composite plan - an integrated human resource plan

A practical guide to assist departments link strategic planning to the integrated human resource plan mentioned above

A guide to assist departments develop human resource plans as required by the PSCBC Resolution 7 of 2002

Key interventions Key interventions flowing from the status reportflowing from the status report

New affirmative action targets for the Public New affirmative action targets for the Public ServiceService

In 2001, DPSA undertook a study to assess progress made by the

Public Service in achieving affirmative action targets. The results

showed that progress towards achieving the target of 30% for

women at management level (salary levels 13 to 16) by the end of

1999 fell short by about 13%.

The 50% target for blacks was however achieved and the

representivity figure as at December 1999 stood at 53%.

For people with disabilities representation was 0.01% at all levels.

Only Education, SAMDI as well as Sport and Recreation have

achieved the 2% target

New affirmative action targets for the New affirmative action targets for the Public ServicePublic Service

In June 2003, the Minister for the Public Service and Administration submitted to Cabinet a proposal setting new minimum national affirmative action targets for designated groups for achievement by the end of March 2005.

In respect of women at management levels, the Minister proposed the retention of the original 30% target. The revised target for blacks was set at 75% while the original target of 2% was for people with disabilities was retained.

Cabinet endorsed the revised targets and committed to support the Minister

Collaboration with key stakeholdersCollaboration with key stakeholders

The January 2003 Cabinet Lekgotla identified the representation of

women and gender programmes as a priority for the Public

Service – mainly driven by the Governance and Administration

Cabinet Cluster Committee

The DPSA is thus collaborating with key stakeholders dealing with

gender issues to develop strategies and acceleration programmes

to advance women and people with disabilities to required levels

of representation within the Public Service.

Intervention strategies: Intervention strategies: Women and people with disabilities in the PSWomen and people with disabilities in the PS

DPSA

Competency framework for the Senior Management Service

Development of a generic competency framework for middle managers at salary levels 11 and 12

Proposals for extending the competency framework to lower levels

Programme for developing sustainable pools of middle managers for possible progression into management positions, targeting particularly designated groups

The research study to investigate factors that would enhance representivity and working conditions of employees with disabilities within the Public Service.

Intervention strategies: Intervention strategies: Women and people with disabilities in the PSWomen and people with disabilities in the PS

OSW

Best practice manual on gender for the Public

Service

User-friendly guide on the National Gender

Framework

An audit on the status of gender focal points in

national departments

Gender Mainstreaming

Intervention strategies: Intervention strategies: Women and people with disabilities in the PSWomen and people with disabilities in the PS

OPSC

A case study on the work experiences of women in senior levels of management, with specific reference to empowerment and decision-making

Comprehensive audit of affirmative action in the Public Service

Disability report

Intervention strategies: Intervention strategies: Women and people with disabilities in the PSWomen and people with disabilities in the PS

SAMDI Response: SAMDI has trained 23 375 public

servants of which 11 213 were women since the beginning of the financial year 2002/3.

SAMDI offers training programmes that target both internal and external public servants

Intervention strategies: Intervention strategies: Women and people with disabilities in the PSWomen and people with disabilities in the PS

Recruitment and selection practices/

strategies

Departments of Education, Justice and

Constitutional Development, Land Affairs,

SAMDI, Statistics South Africa and Social

Development approached various civil society

organisations to distribute their vacancy lists.

Intervention strategies: Intervention strategies: Women and people with disabilities in the PSWomen and people with disabilities in the PS

Recruitment and selection practices/ strategies cont.

Departments of Health (Western Cape), the Department of

Housing and Provincial Treasury (KwaZulu-Natal) the Office of

the Premier, as well as Agriculture, Land Reform,

Conservation and Environment (Northern Cape), forward

their advertisements for vacancies to organisations working

with people with disabilities, and in some cases to the Office

on the Status of Disabled Persons (OSDP) in attempting to

access people with disabilities.

Intervention strategies: Intervention strategies: Women and people with disabilities in the PSWomen and people with disabilities in the PS

Skills development The national Department of Land Affairs provides

bursaries for people with disabilities.

Work environment Department of Finance in the Northern Cape and the

Department of Traditional and Local Government in

KwaZulu-Natal, have set aside specific budgets for

improving the work environment for employees with

disabilities.

Concluding remarksConcluding remarks

Although past reports by the Commission for Employment

Equity reveal that the public sector is performing better than

the private sector in respect of employment equity, progress is

far from satisfactory, particularly in respect of women in senior

management levels and people with disabilities

The state of affairs requires collaborative efforts by all role

players

Support by the Portfolio Committee in achieving meaningful

representation of designated groups will be greatly appreciated