Recruitment of new staff in the civil service, State agencies and related entities will continue even during the electoral campaign.
Promotion exercises initiated prior to the announcement of the snap election on Monday would continue and be determined during the electoral campaign, this newspaper also learnt.
The government insists the same had happened before the last election.
Public service heads were instructed through a circular issued yesterday by the Office of the Prime Minister over the signature of Principal Permanent Secretary Mario Cutajar not to issue any fresh calls for new recruits, appointments or promotions.
“Processes already under way should, of course, be brought to a conclusion”, Mr Cutajar told heads.
He also said that where a staff member needed to be replaced urgently, a monitoring committee headed by Foreign Minister George Vella would look into the matter and decide “on a case by case” basis.
Processes already under way should, of course, be brought to a conclusion
Public service sources told this newspaper the circular meant that, during the month-long electoral campaign, the government could still keep receiving applications for jobs, holding interviews and recruiting staff.
“This also applies to promotions where the government will continue to determine applications for posts a call for which was issued before the election date,” they added.
A good number of calls for the recruitment of officials in the public service and State entities were made over the past weeks.
Last Friday’s The Malta Government Gazette included calls for recruitment by the Health Ministry, the Ministry for the Electoral Manifesto, the Ministry for Home Affairs, the Ministry for Civil Liberties, the Armed Forces of Malta, the police and the Detention Services.
Those interested were asked to submit their applications during May.
Many more vacancies were advertised during April. Asked whether all promotion and recruitment exercises should have been stopped to ease political pressure on civil servants and election candidates in view of the June election, a spokeswoman for Mr Cutajar said the government was doing what had happened during the last general election.
She said an identical circular had been issued in 2012 by the then principal permanent secretary when former prime minister Lawrence Gonzi had announced the election in December 2012.
On that occasion, the Labour Party in Opposition had harshly criticised the circular issued by civil service head Godwin Grima, holding him personally responsible “for the buying of votes by the Nationalist caretaker administration”.
No reply was forthcoming when Mr Cutajar’s spokeswoman was asked for the number of vacancies and promotions that were expected to be determined by the civil service and State entities before June 3.
ivan.camilleri@timesofmalta.com