Putting a role to the term ‘Public Servant’ will be important this election year

When the inevitable point scoring debate about the size of the public service takes place during this year’s election campaign, it will be important for us to think about who these public servants are and whether we want a society where these services are maintained, or whether we want one without them, or where we have to pay for them privately, CTU president Helen Kelly said in a column.

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DominionPost column, Helen Kelly, CTU president.
Published Monday February 25 2008.

Putting a role to the term ‘Public Servant’ will be important this election year

When the inevitable point scoring debate about the size of the public service takes place during this year’s election campaign, it will be important for us to think about who these public servants are and whether we want a society where these services are maintained, or whether we want one without them, or where we have to pay for them privately.

This year I have had many interactions with public servants in both my work and private life and to date, I have appreciated them all. 

My child’s teachers are right back to work showing a commitment that continues to impress and make me grateful.  The health care professionals working with other members of my family continue to show expert skills and high levels of service (despite all the stories I hear about our local hospital). 

During the holiday break I have walked in a National Park and appreciated the paths and facilities maintained by public servants.  I have fished in our seas and I value that fisheries officers ensure there are still fish left to catch. 

I have family that have applied for student loans and had top service from public servants.   They will have an equally good educational experience when University starts later this month.

IRD have been very helpful with my KiwiSaver enquires and made it easy for me to make up my mind to join. 

The police have been very helpful and professional on two occasions - unfortunate to have to need them – but when you do, you are glad they are there! 

I have enjoyed the great public service we have in this country right down to hearing the weather will be fine for another day, driving on the Wellington roads and enjoying the huge collection of preserved  New Zealand historical records in the Turnbull Library.  Public servants are playing an important and beneficial role in my daily goings on. 

The beauty of all this is that I am not privileged to have these services, they are provided by everyone through tax for everyone, regardless of wealth and status.  And I want good people in these jobs!

As President of the CTU, the policy work that is underway in the various government departments is also interesting and essential. 

Developing policy and plans to improve economic growth which is sustainable, including environmentally, is work which is vitally important to all New Zealanders, including workers. 

The work by lawyers and policy analysts at the Department of Labour on improving health and safety monitoring and enforcement has involved extensive consultation with unions and business and the new enforcement strategy will be extremely welcome. 

The Climate Change Leadership Forum bought together an amazing range of expertise (farmers, energy generators, scientists, Maori leaders, business and union representatives) to work jointly on the challenges New Zealand faces in this area.  The public servants working with that group are driving the work forward with information, facilitation and policy advice.  

And what about a few facts?  Yes government spending is up by around $20 billion since 1999, but private sector spending is up by $35 billion. There are more core public servants but they still comprise just 3 percent of the workforce – up from 2.2 percent in 1999.

In a recent interview, EMA Northern’s Alasdair Thompson made light of the important roles carried out by the public service.  He said the work was easy and that public servants were unaccountable, overpaid and of “stuff all value.”

Yet a quick look at his organisation’s website reveals no fewer than 10 press releases in the last six months congratulating work that has been created by public servants.  Work ranging from both policy and planning (roads in Auckland) to implementation (quicker customs processing).   

Mr Thompson can’t have it both ways, and neither can we.  Workers benefit hugely from good public services.  Without them, life becomes extremely difficult. 

It was pleasing then to hear an alternative business view when the head of Business New Zealand spoke publicly recently to thank Wellington public servants for the excellent way they work with Business NZ on very important policy issues. 

We all know about countries where health and education are privatized, where groups like police are paid so little and corruption becomes a necessary method of survival. 

We have all watched countries where forests are cut uncontrollably, pollution grows daily, economic investment and growth is minimal or the society has huge inequalities. 

We know from our experience in the 1990’s that cuts to public services drove up inequality and that New Zealand had a sustained period of low or no economic growth. 

Why any modern organization would continue to build a myth that public services are of low value is beyond me. 

So putting a role to the title this year will test those that want to cut our public services.