The most recent job-related reforms launched by Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia to standardize the public service jobs through nation-wide cross-sectorial Job Evaluation and Grading (JEG), has its echo in AMU that has rolled out different job-levels with respective points of weights after prolonged churning.
Following is the total account of arduous process through which AMU’s JEG Committee had underwent in executing this task; its chairperson, Mr Mala Maldaye, who also assists Administrative Vice President in carrying out office business has shared his and team members’ experiences of this coordinated efforts.
Mr Mala said JEG is a pilot program, prior to this there was Commission for Public Administration that had varied salary scales for similar jobs; and it was this variation in salary and benefits had triggered mass exodus of employees to another organization for better pasture. Therefore, JEG aims to ensure equitable salary and benefits proportional to job weights; it will remove disparity and usher in sort of stability.
Revealing related process, he said, it was categorized into three phases – pre-placement, placement and post-placement; initially, we as per the guidelines, has constituted 6-member Placement Committee. In the beginning, all administrative employees were oriented by the designated committee and Ministry of Public Service and Human Resource Development officials so that they get prepared for it, when it comes.
All committee members had cascaded responsibilities to be carried out and during pre-placement, at the outset, in a month’s time that too after careful scrutiny we re-arranged profiles of 3655 staff. And keeping in view of apt qualifications, employees were offered two options to compete for position.
We have had Education License Screening Committee looked into forgery cases and could identify only 2% (14 cases) as guilty. While vetting testimonials, we looked into competence and level of experience, etc. Only four were found having discrepancies associated with their credentials.
He further said of 3,655 staff, 65% (2,360) of them were placed (level1-to-18) as per their willingness and for 35% (1,295), JEG Committee had to use its discretion to place them because they couldn’t prove competence level for the given options; and now most of them nurturing dissatisfaction seeking revision.
The permitted number of employees for AMU by Public and Human Resource Development Ministry is 6,090 of which 3,655 are already placed and remaining will be recruited as and when required, he informed.
As of now, JEG Committee has completed first stage of work, while the post-placement process has just begun by Post-Evaluation Committee that is looking into grievances of those dissatisfied individuals. This process will take at least a month to wind up their job and submit report to the AMU management.
On complexity of given task, he said, what we didn’t like was monotony. Though, the result is published, yet the job isn’t completed, we are now answerable to Post-Evaluation Committee. He agreed that the placement done isn’t final; as there are chances of some revision but not very drastic. The disputed 35 cases will be resolved through mutual arbitration.
He revealed that during reform process few directors’ positions have been reshuffled or changed i.e. Income Generation, Cross-Cutting, Anti-Corruption, Procurement & Purchase, Finance and ICT directorates.
When asked when re-positioned individuals will assume new offices, he said, once Post-Evaluation Committee finalizes the report, incumbents will get new letter of re-placement, he clarified.
He reiterated that sole purpose of this task has been to equate salary and benefits of similar positions and job grades in different institutions as it will put to rest frequent turn-over of employees and bring sense of some sort of stability and satisfaction to employees and respite to the organization, he summed up.
(Corporate Communication Directorate)