Public Employees Working Outside the Civil Service in Palestine (2019–2021)

●      Episode No. (2)

-        The final examination results reached by the State Audit and Administrative Control Bureau (SAACB) in its 2022 annual report, after studying the responses of the centers of responsibility to its preliminary report issued to the centers of responsibility on 4-1-2022, are as follows:

●      The number of employees working outside the civil service during the period 2019 up to month 10-2021 was 9,271 employees, according to the Bureau's preliminary report. After studying the responses of the centers of responsibility to the Bureau's preliminary report, the number of employees working outside the civil service during the mentioned period reached 8,393 employees, as these entities verified their employee data...!

-        The number of employees who had income sources outside the civil service in 2021 was 3,523 employees, while the number of employees who obtained permits to work outside the civil service was 171 employees, according to what was provided to the Bureau by the centers of responsibility.

●      The number of employees who filled out the disclosure and declared that they work outside the civil service was 432 employees, which confirms the inaccuracy of the disclosures submitted by employees of the centers of responsibility to the State Audit and Administrative Control Bureau (SAACB) and their employers..!!.

-        The percentage of employees working outside the civil service in each of the centers of responsibility (Ministry of Education and Higher Education, Ministry of Higher Education, Ministry of Health, and National Security Forces) constitutes 79% of the total state employees working outside the civil service, noting the substantial variation in the numbers of employees across the different centers of responsibility.

-        Government employee data at the Companies Controller in the Ministry of National Economy indicate the existence of 956 employees registered in the commercial register, and 4,064 employees registered in the companies register, of whom 2,620 employees are partners in companies, 1,399 employees are authorized signatories for companies, and 45 employees are members of companies' boards of directors..!

●      These employees did not disclose that to their centers of responsibility, noting that some responses from centers of responsibility regarding ownership or the participation of some of their employees in companies stated that these companies are inactive on the ground, family inheritances, closed and not updated with the Ministry of Economy, noting that the Bureau states that the data related to the commercial register and companies register cited in the body of this report are the final updated data officially registered with the Companies Controller up to 10-1-2022,

●      Some centers of responsibility responded to the Bureau's preliminary report: 37 entities (52%) out of 71 did not respond to the preliminary report issued on 4-1-2022 concerning their employees working outside the civil service and those participating in companies, which constitutes an administrative violation by those entities, according to the provisions of the State Audit and Administrative Control Bureau (SAACB) law, since the data issued in the preliminary report are considered final data.

·       The results of analyzing the responses of some centers of responsibility to the Bureau's preliminary report showed that the responses of some centers of responsibility indicated that a number of their employees do not work outside the civil service, contrary to what the tax records show, which suggests the possibility of: the inaccuracy of the employees' statements, or that some employers have exploited the data of former public employees to evade taxes, and necessary measures will be taken if the inaccuracy of the employees' statements is proven..

●      The report was responded to by 34 centers of responsibility out of 71 centers of responsibility, the Council of Ministers was corresponded with the report, and all the Bureau's recommendations contained in its report were adopted..

●      This matter regarding public employees holding another position outside their civil service job is important, even though the government carried out a campaign years ago to prevent such acquisition... The existence of such acquisition by public employees is a negative matter that necessitates the immediate rectification of their status. Employees must choose: whoever works in the civil service should not look outside of it and seek other work; either they remain in their civil service position and perform what the law requires in public service work and give up the external position immediately, with that being monitored credibly and transparently... or they leave their civil service job and are free to pursue their external job.

●      This is not arbitrary or a cut of livelihood... his livelihood is in his civil service job that he obtained at the outset..!. As for seizing another job or other jobs outside the civil service... that violates labor laws and constitutes perjury of the oath of loyalty and administrative fidelity on the one hand, and on the other hand our society is saturated with the unemployed to the point that their numbers have exceeded half a million unemployed, at least.... with an unemployment rate of 28% (West Bank and Gaza Strip).. In a statistic in the first quarter of this year on this subject, it was noted that the number of employed decreased by about 13 thousand workers in the first quarter of 2023 from about 1.159 million workers in the fourth quarter of 2022 to about 1.146 million workers in the first quarter of 2023.. Therefore, a public employee holding another job outside his public work means closing paths of work before waves of unemployed people, where the unemployment rate is high in Palestine as we indicated.

●      Another matter that appeared to me from this report about public employees working outside the civil service is that those employees who were verified regarding work outside the public position denied the existence of such. It turned out that their statements contradicted the facts... Where the opposite was proven after verification and investigation, those employees who deliberately hid the facts about their situation from the competent authorities must bear responsibility and be punished whatever the justification..., because the civil service is under an oath of fidelity.. and dishonesty in such a position has undesirable repercussions if the matter is not addressed in accordance with the principle of reward and punishment..!

●      One might say that the civil service does not suffice to provide for a family's livelihood... certainly that is true.. but saying that in this matter is ill-advised...! If the door is opened to such matters there will be chaos, instability in public work, lack of loyalty to the public position, lack of achievement and focus in public work. Noting that there are public employees working in indirect jobs, such as online computer-related jobs, which are not included in this subject here. It was also observed that there are public employees who attend their civil service job two days a week.. or three days a week at most , and the rest.. work in other sites, or sit at home for rest.!! This is laxity, contempt and failure to perform responsibility as required by the matter; it is deplorable... How will we build state institutions and boast about them to nations! The responsibility lies primarily with those in charge..!

●      It is time that we perform our duties with seriousness and responsibility and not be lax in the responsibility of the civil service, whether civilian or military..!!