Public service watchdog faces job cuts

State Services Commissioner Iain Rennie has said expectations on the watchdog are not reducing. File photo / Mark Mitchell

More than 20 State Services Commission (SSC) staff face redundancy in a round of purse-string tightening that has come as another frustration for the Public Service Association (PSA).

The budget trimming follows a decision made last year to move government shared network and other IT operations from the SSC to Internal Affairs.

That move would see about 70 of 230 or so staff shifting departments before the start of the new financial year, while 22 more jobs were at risk on top of that, according to a budget plan.

An SSC spokesman said that issues surrounding the job cuts were still being discussed internally and details had been leaked to media.

"Organisations across the country are facing pressures and we are no different," he said.

PSA national secretary Brenda Pilott said the SSC was already under pressure to oversee the public sector and further cuts were concerning.

In a change management plan, State Services Commissioner Iain Rennie had stated: "The SSC is getting smaller but the expectations on us are not".

"The commission is already under pressure and appears under-resourced for the work it's currently responsible for," Ms Pilott said.

"Now the Government is expecting the SSC to take on new initiatives with fewer staff."

The cuts were a common theme among Government departments and another example of its commitment to keeping New Zealanders in work apparently not applying to the public sector, she said.

Labour Party state services spokesman Grant Robertson said the Government claim of seeking efficiency and effectiveness in public services was at odds with the SSC cuts.

"The State Services Commission should be leading the way in developing a modern public service, instead it is set to become a toothless watchdog," he said.

State Services Commission Minister Tony Ryall declined to comment while the cuts were still in the proposal stage.

- NZPA