The Cabinet has approved the Civil Ser-vants Regulation Bill, which will pave the way for major bureaucratic reform.

The bill aims to rewrite the salary structure for all civil servants.

The current 11 levels on the civil servants' career ladder will also come to an end as the Bill will reorganise civil servants into four levels: general, academic, director and executive.

There will be three types of civil servant: ordinary civil servants, civil servants engaged in overseas missions and civil servants working for the Royal Family.

"When it takes effect, [the Act] will ensure that civil servants are professional and work more efficiently," said PM's Office minister Khunying Dhipavadee Meksawan.

She said the new salary structure would also respond to actual living costs.

The Bill would decentralise personnel authority, she said, so a director-general and permanent secretary can recruit staff through a sub-committee of the Office of the Civil Service Commission (OCSC). "They will jointly make decisions."

Dhipavadee said OCSC representatives would also sit on the sub-committee of each department. They could veto an appointment if the chosen candidate for a position was not properly qualified.

Currently, the OCSC recruits civil servants and assigns them to vacant positions at various government departments and agencies.

Dhipavadee said the Bill would soon be presented to the National Legislative Assembly for its consideration.

"When it is passed into law, it will take effect one year after it is promulgated in the Royal Gaz-ette," she said. She explained that this timeframe would allow the OCSC to gradually prepare civil servants for the new system.

While touting many of the Bill's good points, Dhipavadee was non-committal on the question of whether the Bill would put an end to civil servants currying favour, particularly for promotions and special appointments. "We can't ban lobbying for certain jobs. Anyway, if it's [regarded as] unfair, those affected can lodge a complaint."

Dhipavadee said the Bill prescribed the establishment of a Merit Systems Protection Board, which would take action against offending officials. "A director-general who fails to take action against unfair practices would be subject to disciplinary action."

Piyanart Srivalo

The Nation