Workforce Planning Unit Aims To Tackle Job

Government is planning to regularise the employment status of long-serving temporary and fixed-term workers to address concerns over job security and labour standards. Responding to a question in Parliament recently, acting Minister of Lands and Agriculture, Dr Edwin Dikoloti said while economic constraints forced reliance on temporary staff, government was now implementing reforms, including the establishment of a dedicated Workforce Planning Unit, to transition eligible employees into permanent and budgeted positions. Dr Dikoloti however, admitted that the prolonged reliance on such an approach raised concerns regarding job security, conditions of service and the broader principles of decent work and human dignity.

Despite the challenges, the minister assured Parliament that the engagement of such workers conformed to the Employment Act Part XIX (175), Public Service Act Part VI (3) and General Orders 8.3.1.3. To ensure continued compliance, Dr Dikoloti noted that the ministry continued to seek guidance from the Directorate of Public Service Management (DPSM) to keep employment practices aligned with national labour standards and to preserve workers’ rights. “One key initiative is the establishment of the of a workforce planning unit to ensure that staffing levels are aligned with operational efficiency.

The unit is tasked with ongoing rationalisation of positions and prioritisation of critical is being done through staff deployment exercises to manage staffing shortages while at the same time complying to Public Service recruitment processes,” he said. The minister was responding to a question from Member of Parliament for Okavango East, Mr Gabatsholwe Disho, who had asked about the ministry’s prolonged use of temporary staff for roles that were essentially continuous in nature.ENDS