Jobs For Life To Go?

A new draft law states that civil servants can lose their positions if they fail an evaluation of their ability to work. A radical change from the existing system of jobs for life. One you've passed the competitive oposiciones exam and secured your first position, you have a job for life, regardless of your level of incompetence, something the current government is attempting to redress.

A Controversial New Law

Spain recently saw a new draft of Civil Service Law enter circulation in government, and it has already been mobbed by a wave of controversy. 

The document, which is 125 pages long, is open to amendments, but the basic message outlines the possibility that civil servants can be removed from the posts they obtained through competition, if the new performance evaluation, which is mandatory, highlights negative results. 

The government has stated that the evaluation is a legal requirement, but it hasn’t given an exact definition as to how conduct will be measured. However, the evaluation will not only affect the development of a civil servant’s career and chances for promotion, but it will also affect the receipt of salary supplements.

A New Boost For Civil Servants

Included within the new documentation is the establishment of two new salary supplements for civil servants. These are primarily based on performance appraisals as well as professional appraisals.

The first supplement is directly connected to one’s career. The progression a civil servant has made within their career will influence the amount they receive. Certain levels of progression are categorised into different amounts of salary supplement.

The amount will be the same for any civil servant in the same group who has been recognised. The second supplement is the performance allowance. This is explicitly tied to the successful completion of performance reviews throughout their careers. 

The resulting complementary compensation would be made up of career, performance, destination and specific allowances. There will also be a lesser-used “extraordinary service” allowance, which is a reward for services offered outside of the typical working day or other extraordinary activities carried out within the role. 

Complaints From Unions

The move has been heavily criticised by trade unions.

Representatives from various unions have said that removing a civil servant from their post is a very serious course of action, and they consider the evaluation to be an unfair practice. Their argument is that the evaluation serves as the metaphorical judge, jury, and executioner, offering up no opportunity for the civil servant to defend themselves. 

Meanwhile, the official position of the government is that incorporating the evaluation into the law is designed for the sake of improving productivity within the government. It also serves to help adapt professional careers to fulfil the functions they have been created for. With that being said, trade unions are readying themselves to present allegations and compromises to the government, and the Ministry of Finance accepts that it will likely have to compromise on certain areas in order to get the law passed without major disruption.

For now, the law is currently in debate among members of parliament and, pending negotiations with trade unions, will likely be implemented this year or next.