The government has said placing civil servants in the federal, provincial and local governments would require more time as it has not completed laws for the adjustment process.

The adjustment should be done within six months after the Cabinet approves the organisational structure and the number of staff, as per the Employee Adjustment Act.

The Cabinet has endorsed the organisational structure and the number of staff for several central and provincial government offices. However, the Organization and Management (O&M) Survey of Local Levels for permanent adjustment of civil servants is yet to begin.

A senior official at the Ministry of Federal Affairs and General Administration (MoFAGA) says without promulgating Federal Civil Service Act, Provincial Civil Service Act and Local-level Service Act, permanent adjustment of the government staffers will be difficult.

The ministry has sent the final draft of Federal Civil Service Act to the Law Ministry for its opinion while drafting of two other laws is in the initial stage.MoFAGA Secretary Dinesh Thapaliya said, “These laws are necessary for civil staff to choose any office in the three-tiers of the governments.

“It would be easier for civil staff to choose provincial and local government offices after the Provincial Civil Service Act and Local Level Service Act specifies the facilities a staff member can avail for serving in second and third tier government offices.”

He said the government has given priority to usher in these laws to readjust civil staff efficiently. The civil staff strength currently stands at 89,900.The government first plans to deploy civil staff at the local levels followed by provincial governments and then central government offices. Therefore, the priority to introduce the Federal Civil Service Act first seems strange.

The Federal Restructuring Implementation Committee headed by Kashi Raj Dahal has recommended a draft of Provincial Civil Service Act and Local Civil Service Act. The respective assemblies need to pass these draft Acts.

Employees unions have their own concerns over the upcoming the three laws. They want promotions by one level to move staff to the provincial and local government offices.

Trade Union of Civil Servants President Punya Prasad Dhakal said, “We have demanded non-gazetted second class civil servant should be promoted to non-gazetted first class and non-gazetted first class should be promoted to officer level.”

The trade union is concerned by the government proposal to adjust federal civil service under the structure ‘classes’ and provincial and local service under the structure of ‘levels.’

The government has formed a joint committee, headed by MoFAGA Joint Secretary Bhupal Baral, comprising government and trade union officials to resolve this issue.The government is yet to complete the O&M Survey of local levels. After completing the survey of the federal and provincial levels, the O&M committee headed by former MoFAGA Secretary Shankar Koirala recently recommended maintaining around 45,000 staff at the central level and around 16,000 at provincial levels.As per the interim recommendation, there would be around 57,000 staff at the local levels.

Thapaliya said the government would be able to start the adjustment process once O&M of the local levels is completed for permanent adjustment.