Civil servant

PUTRAJAYA: A 35-year-old civil servant was arrested over allegations of bribery amounting to RM80,000. The suspect, who is an assistant engineer with a government agency, was alleged to have demanded money. Sources said the suspect was believed to have asked for bribes in return for maintenance work to be carried out on a school in Selangor. "The assistant engineer is the officer responsible for managing the project. "The man was arrested by a team of officers from the Selangor Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission on Tuesday (May 17)," said a source. The same source said that the suspect was arrested at a restaurant in Bangi around 4pm on Tuesday after accepting RM10,000 from an individual. Selangor MACC director Datuk Alias Salim confirmed the arrest. He said the suspect would be brought to the Shah Alam court for remand on Wednesday (May 18). … [Read more...] about Civil servant arrested for bribery over school maintenance work

KUCHING: Police have arrested a civil servant for allegedly hurting his wife and smashing her mobile phone here. Kuching police chief Asst Comm Ahsmon Bajah said the 23-year-old suspect was detained on April 17 after two reports were lodged on Dec 17, 2021 and Jan 10, 2022. He said the suspect smashed his wife's mobile phone and hurt her in two separate incidents. "The suspect is being investigated under Sections 323 and 427 of the Penal Code and Section 18A of the Domestic Violence Act," he said in a statement on Wednesday (May 25). The statement was issued after a post about the alleged abuse on Twitter on Tuesday (May 24). ACP Ahsmon urged the public not to speculate on the case as investigations were ongoing. He said the investigation papers would be forwarded to the Attorney General's Chambers for further action. … [Read more...] about Civil servant arrested for hurting wife in Sarawak

Civil servants were given a £2,000 lesson in juggling and building a miniature railway on a taxpayer-funded away day. Labour tonight branded the spending by the Department for Transport a “waste” while rail fares soar. Spending records show the department paid £2,074.28 to Zing Events as part of a 38-person “team away day” - part of £18,000 spent on team-building days last winter. The company did not run the whole away day but handles 60-minute icebreaking sessions to “energise” conferences and stop “death by powerpoint”. DfT staff spent 20 minutes doing Group Juggling, which teaches people “how to juggle as one team passing the juggling ball onto the next person while receiving a juggling ball from your other side.” Another 20 minutes were spent on the Mini Mexican Railway, where “pairs must construct a contraption that can carry a ball from one end of the room to the other”. Shadow Transport Secretary Louise Haigh said: “As taxpayers count the cost of 15 Tory tax rises … [Read more...] about Civil servants given £2,000 lesson in juggling and building a miniature railway

A union leader is calling on the Prime Minister and other members of the Government to stop the "culture war" against civil servants following attacks against their working arrangements. Dave Penman, general secretary of the FDA, which represents senior staff in the service, attacked the Government for "going to war" with the very people he said were delivering its agenda. Speaking at the union's annual conference in London, Mr Penman singled out the Minister for Government Efficiency, Jacob Rees-Mogg , for his "crass, condescending, passive-aggressive little notes for people who were actually delivering vital public services". The minister, who has said civil servants should stop working from home, left a note for civil servants, saying "sorry you were out when I visited". The note, printed on government paper with Mr Rees-Mogg's title, was left at empty desks and read "I look forward to seeing you in the office very soon." Mr Penman said it was hard to imagine a time in … [Read more...] about Civil servants’ union chief blasts Tories and Jacob Rees-Mogg for ‘going to war’

Staff at the Department for Education have been forced to work in the corridor following orders to stop working from home - as there were twice as many employees as desks. DfE staff have been sitting in canteens or corridors as their offices were overcrowded after the Government ordered civil servants to go back to work. Across the DfE's 12 offices, staff outnumber desks by nearly two to one and in Leeds there are 24 desks for 110 staff, despite bosses stating that people should work at the office for at least 80% of the week. Education Secretary Nadhim Zahawi said in April that he had told his team to return to pre-pandemic work arrangements in offices after figures showed just a quarter of staff were going in. Permanent secretary Susan Acland-Hood later told staff to work 80% of their week in the office, according to Schools Week. Education Secretary Nadhim Zahawi said he wanted staff to return to pre-pandemic arrangements ( Image: NurPhoto/PA Images) However, … [Read more...] about Civil servants work in corridors after DfE runs out of desks in return-to-work push

The Government is on a collision course with unions and faces the threat of a national strike over controversial plans to axe tens of thousands of jobs in the Civil Service . The Prime Minister sparked outrage after it was revealed he has tasked his Cabinet with cutting about 90,000 jobs. Boris Johnson is understood to have told ministers on Thursday that the service should be slashed by a fifth. Unions reacted with fury, with one leader warning that national strike action was “very much on the table”. Recommended Crypto meltdown slows as market reels from Terra collapse - live Coleen Rooney to take witness stand in libel trial - live Boris Johnson news live: PM to cut around 90,000 civil service jobs The Public and Commercial Services union (PCS) is to hold an emergency meeting of its executive committee next week to discuss its response. General secretary Mark Serwotka told the PA news wire that any job cuts would … [Read more...] about Unions warn of industrial action over plans to slash Civil Service jobs

Boris Johnson’s plan to cut 90,000 civil service jobs marks a return to austerity and will damage public services, a trade union leader has said. The Prime Minister recently tasked his Cabinet with shrinking the size of the service by a fifth, using the savings for tax cuts to ease the cost-of-living crisis. However, Frances O’Grady, head of the Trades Union Congress, argued the move would provoke widespread anger. Speaking to Sky News’ Sophy Ridge , she said: “This is back to austerity – and we saw how austerity failed not only ordinary people, families, but it failed the country in the end by holding back growth. “How on earth the Government expects to be able to shed 90,000 (jobs) at a stroke and for it not to damage communities in the country, I really don’t know. Recommended Moscow makes fresh warning of retaliation against Finland over Nato ‘Computer says no’: Sunak blames ageing IT for not hiking benefits “ Communities … [Read more...] about Civil service job cuts plan signals return to austerity, union leader says

Boris Johnson has ordered ministers to axe up to 91,000 civil service jobs in a desperate bid to free up cash to tackle the cost of living crisis. The Prime Minister is said to have told top Tories that the number of Whitehall officials should be cut by a fifth to bring the civil service to 2016 levels within a few years. Unions blasted the move as a "reckless slash and burn" to public services and warned hard choices would be needed if the staffing levels are significantly reduced. The Public and Commercial Services union (PCS) is to hold an emergency meeting of its executive committee next week to discuss its response, which could include strike action. Labour said the Government had resisted calls for an emergency Budget and was instead focusing on "pointless rhetoric". A senior official at HMRC apologised to staff on Friday, who found out about the planned job cuts through the media. Brexit Opportunities Minister Jacob Rees-Mogg has been engaged in a war on … [Read more...] about Boris Johnson’s plan to axe 91,000 civil service jobs branded ‘reckless slash and burn’

The final match of Kochi Soccer League, a sevens tournament for 12 teams whose members (from the adolescent age group) were selected from financially and socially backward areas of the city, was held at the Regional Sports Centre (RSC) here on Sunday evening. Actors Mammootty, Manju Warrier, and the captain of the Kerala team that won the Santosh Trophy, Jijo Joseph, were among the guests. The winning team was River Plate, Mattancherry. The tournament was organised by Civil Servants of Kerala (CSK), a group comprising of All India Services and Group A Central Civil Service officers, mainly based in Kochi. The CSK was formed to harness their skill and managerial ability during their spare time to benefit members of the society. More such initiatives would follow suit, official sources said. Coaching members of the 12 teams, which included personality development training, began on May 14 at the RSC. A total of 120 players aged between 13 and 17 were selected for the tournament … [Read more...] about Kochi Soccer League at Regional Sports Centre concludes

A Tory Cabinet Minister lecturing workers about going back to the office has been accused of enjoying a four-day week. A leaked email shows Jacob Rees-Mogg , who is “suspicious” about people working from home on Fridays, does not take his ministerial “box” home with him on this day. SNP MP Pete Wishart said: “The hypocrisy is staggering. While Jacob Rees-Mogg has been quick to harass civil servants with notes on their desks, he must have forgotten to put one on his own as he rushes out for an early weekend.” Mr Rees-Mogg, the Minister for Brexit Opportunities and Government Efficiency, has called for the “rapid return” of civil servants to their offices in Whitehall now that Covid-19 restrictions have ended. He was widely mocked for leaving a “passive aggressive” note on the desk of officials which stated: “Sorry you were out when I visited. I look forward to seeing you in the office very soon," the Daily Record reports. Jacob Rees-Mogg, the Minister for Brexit … [Read more...] about Jacob Rees-Mogg accused of working ‘four day week’ amid civil service office row