Archive:Public employment - United Kingdom
This Statistics Explained article is outdated and has been archived.
- Source: Ministry of the Spanish presidency 2010, publication "Public employment in the European Union Member States" .
This article is part of a set of background articles and introduces public employment in the United Kingdom.
Regional and administrative organisation
Introduction
The United Kingdom is a unitary State made up of four constituent countries: Scotland, England, Northern Ireland and Wales. It is governed by a parliamentary system with its seat of government in London, the capital, but with three devolved national administrations in Belfast, Cardiff and Edinburgh. It is a Parliamentary Monarchy and the Queen is the Head of State.
System of government
The British administrative system is based on the Westminster-Whitehall system (House of Commons and House of Lords). The Government is responsible for running the machinery of government. The Prime Minister is the leader of the parliamentary majority. The Government is made up of all Ministers. There are three types according to competences. The Prime Minister’s Cabinet is chaired by the Cabinet Secretary with coordination powers.
The internal structure of Departments appoints a Permanent Secretary (Secretary of State), which is equivalent to the Deputy Secretary in the Spanish Administration, who acts as the Head of Staff and Internal Affairs in the Department.
Departments are organized into administrative units or General Directorates. These posts correspond to senior civil servants so there is a great deal of professionalism in the English administration, which has less political positions than other administrations.
Agencies and other public bodies are responsible for implementing the public policies entrusted to them. The Director-General manages the resources assigned to the Agency using a framework document, the guidelines of which are normally set out by the Head of the Ministry. Agencies employ approximately 72 % of civil servants in the Central Administration.
Quangos are independent administrations, which are not controlled as strictly as Agencies (for example: BBC). Finally, private companies and organizations from the services sector have emerged as a result of the outsourcing or privatization of British public services.
Regional organization
There are the following levels of regional organization:
A) Regional.
The Welsh, Scottish and Irish special characteristics have given an important boost to regional self-government, with a variety of assumptions in the following cases:
• Scotland has a Parliament and a Government. The first Scottish Parliament was elected in 1999 and it was made up of a total of 129 members. It has powers to set income tax.
• Wales: The first Assembly was elected in 1999, with 60 members. It is led by a Government which is chaired by a Prime Minister. This Assembly does not have powers in terms of funding.
• Northern Ireland: The devolution of its autonomy began in 1999, and was suspended until 2007 for political reasons. The Assembly has 108 members.
• England: It has created Regional Development Agencies in the different Regions which have to form their own Assemblies. Meanwhile, they act as Central Government Development Agencies in these Regions.
In 2000, London also re-established the Greater London Authority (abolished in 1986). The Mayor and his 25 Members are directly elected. The development of the funding system for these entities is under study.
B) Local levels
Constituencies: They are Counties (Regions in Scotland) and Metropolitan and nonmetropolitan districts (There are parishes in the latter and Neighbourhoods in the Metropolitan Areas).
Services are divided between both levels and the Government. The County is responsible for the most costly services such as education and social services. Districts have a lower budget and focus mainly on services at a local level.
The local corporation council is elected by majority vote and the Plenary is built at the same time as the executive and legislative power. As for relations between Central Government and City Councils, Local government is particularly important. Its competencies are established by law and it implements Government policies in sensitive areas such as education. There is limited financial independence as they depend on subsidies from the Ministries.
Public administration
The British administrative system is characterized by the complexity of the territorial political entities, as budgetary allocations and subsidies are key factors in the functioning of the English Administration. According to tradition, Municipalities are prior and independent of the State. Therefore, orders are received from Parliament and not from the Crown.
The importance of the “Rule of law” must be highlighted, or in other words, submission to Common Law, which means that the Crown is subject to Common Law, which gives particular importance to judges in this political-administrative system. Finally, the lack of a written Constitution means that the British system is highly characterized by tradition and custom.
Public employment structure
Regulation: The main regulations are: 2006 Civil Service Code and 1996 Civil Service Management Code.
Structure: The Civil service model encompasses two structures: the open structure for higher grades and the closed structure for the rest of the administrative grades. The closed civil service has two channels: the general, equivalent to general corps and the specialised, equivalent to the special corps. The open structure brings together senior civil servants, the elite of the British Civil Service, which comprises around 3 000 members.
Employee distribution, which has some special characteristics such as the little importance of employment in regional authorities, due to its recent creation, although they employ around 40 % of public employees (it must be remembered that the Local Administration implements many policies drawn up by the Central Government). The size of the Central Government public employees (around 20 %, as the rest belong to the health service or nationalized industries) is concentrated in the Agencies (75 % of them) as civil servants in Departments are increasingly representative.
Agencies and Employees from the Private Sector: Management positions in Agencies fit the profile of private sector executive. The Head of the Agency usually is paid according to the evaluation of the objectives fulfilled and he is responsible for leading and managing Agency staff, with prerogatives over civil servants. This has led to the entry of many executives from private companies into these posts, although the presence of senior civil servants is also significant. They may return to a position in the Department if they do not wish to remain in the Agency or if they have failed to achieve the target objectives.
Employee Categories: Civil servants are only those working in Ministries and Agencies. They represent 9 % of public employees. The majority of public employees (public servants) are regulated by their individual contracts which are subject to employment law. Employment conditions often vary between employees. Casual staff is appointed on a temporary basis in order to satisfy a short-term need. It is contracted for a maximum period of 12 months, which in special circumstances may be extended by up to 24 months.
Public Employment Management Body: Ministry for Civil Service. The Ministries and Agencies also define the rules of conduct for their employees and should ensure their fulfilment in accordance with the Civil Service Code.
Statistics: The English population is 60.7 million and there are 3.4 million public employees (20 % at central level). Civil servants account for around 15 %. Of the public 490 000 employees, 4 212 (1 %) are Senior Civil Servants, representing 1.8 % of the active population.
Rights, obligations, principles and values
Ethical Code: The rights and obligations of British civil servants are stipulated in the 1996 Civil Service Code. Each Ministerial Department or Agency establishes the rules of conduct for its own staff. Civil servants serve the Crown, and are considered to be employees of the Crown. They should be honest and impartial in the performance of their duties and more specifically: a) They must not disclose information acquired in the course of their official duties. b) They must not participate in any political or public activity that may compromise their impartial service to the present or future government. c) They must not misuse their civil servant status or information acquired in the course of their official duties to further their private interests. d) They must not accept gifts or any other benefits from anyone which might reasonably be seen to compromise their judgement or integrity.
The Right to strike is recognised in practice although it does not appear in any legal texts. On the other hand, civil servants are under the obligation not to apply a supervisory decision which is deemed to go against the code, the law or ethical considerations. Public sector employees are entitled to remuneration, a pension and compensation in the event of redundancy.
Working conditions: Ministries and Agencies may agree to reduced working hours for their employees or the modification of other working conditions, provided that certain requirements are fulfilled, namely a report request from the Civil Service Pensions Division.
Safety and hygiene: The 1974 Act is applicable in this field, regulating the employer’s responsibility for the health, safety and well-being of its employees, in any workplace, including at home. There are safety representatives in each Department and Agency.
Flexible working: There has been an increase in the proportion of Senior Civil Servants working in flexible patterns (5.5 %). In April 2003, in accordance with the Employment Act 2002, parents of children under the age of six or disabled children under the age of 18 were allowed to request flexible working. Since 2007, this right has been extended to carers of adults.
Leave: Leave is regulated in the 2006 Work and Families Act, which is applicable to all employees and allows leave for: Maternity (26 weeks). Maternity Pay or SMP (Statutory Maternity Pay) can be paid for up to 39 weeks and is payable by the employer, although it may be partially reimbursed by the state. Paternity leave must be completed within 56 days of the actual date of birth of the child.
Employees who have completed one year’s service with their employer are entitled to 13 weeks’ unpaid parental leave for each child born or adopted. Parents of disabled children can take 18 months leave until the child reaches the age of 18.
Career-based system. Training
In relation to administrative careers, it is necessary to differentiate between senior civil servants and other categories. The career of the former is centralised and clearly defined, but promotion for other categories is devolved to Departments and Agencies, which are free to establish their own promotion criteria (always respecting the principles of merit and ability). Professional promotion is not linked to seniority in the Public Administration, but on the job performance appraisal, which determines promotion and pay to be received. Civil servant salaries are established according to a minimum and maximum pay band, which is normally set by each Department and is applied in accordance with the results of the performance appraisal.
Training. The United Kingdom began developing on-going training schemes in the 1980’s. The management and financing of training is decentralised, but there is a National School of Government for this purpose and a development programme that consists of training employees with the potential to advance to Senior Civil Service positions. It comprises Central Departments (the Home Civil Service), Diplomatic Service, Science and Engineering Fast Stream, Clerkships in Parliament, DfID Technical Development Officers. They are all known as the Graduate Fast Stream.
Remuneration
Pay is based on the level of responsibility and on functions performed. The Ministerial Departments and executive agencies are responsible for determining pay scales under the Civil Service Management Code, as well as the economic limitations established by the Treasury. The Senior Civil Service has had its own pay system since 1996, consisting of a salary scale which is reviewed by the Senior Salaries Review Body.
Social dialogue and system of representation
The rate of union membership in the UK is much higher in the public sector than in the private sector. The Civil Service unions are consulted by the government (Cabinet Office and Treasury) on issues which have civil service wide implications. However, there are diverse issues, such as pay, that are negotiated at departmental or agency level. Some of the most discussed questions in the trade union sphere are the modernisation of public management and Human Resources, pensions and work-life balance.
Senior civil servants
The Senior Civil Service Model is based on four key components: Management, Skills, Results and Integrity. Pay levels are determined by the Senior Salaries Review Body, an independent body appointed by the Prime Minister which reports annually on Senior Civil Servants and every three years for political posts. Initially, pay is entirely based on productivity. In 2008, 24 % of Senior Civil Servants recruited came from the private sector. (Summary Table)
Recent reforms and prospects
The “Promoting Equality, Valuing Diversity – A Strategy for the Civil Service” initiative was launched in July 2008, which sets out commitments on the key areas that are intended to achieve broad and deep cultural change across the Civil Service. This strategy includes targets to increase the presence of women in the Senior Civil Service.
See also
- Civil servants in the EU member states - online publication