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A civil Service Trap?
Read more about: Green Party
There is many interesting things coming out of the green convention but the one thing that made me look twice was the call for a
‘buffer period’ for government officials before they take up employment in the private sector.
Now this was in the context of banning corporate donations. Something I agree with. However the idea of restricting someone’s job prospects seems wrong.
This des seem like restricting some one’s right to move job. How long will a buffer period be. 1 month, 1 year, 5 years? And how will this person feed their families during this time. Considering that this seems to be stopping people working. Indeed is the purpose of this to make it difficult for people to leave the civil service. The Greens go on about poverty traps. But is this not also a trap. Trapping someone in a job?
In usual terms this ban is best practice across the west. Its targetted as it bans the civil servant from the private sector only if
1: S/He has had previous relations as a civil servant with that company
2: S/He has worked in a department/area of government relevant to the private sector job in question and stands to gain from inside knowledge, information and contacts in a manner which preudices the running of government
3: S/He was involved in a sensitive area of government and working for the private sector compromises that.
There are a few more but they are all variations on a theme. Its to stop elements of the private sector from leeching civil servant and gaining unfair advantage.
Its not a blanket ban on work.
but we have no idea what the terms they are talking about. it is just a sweeping statement. could also debate many of your terms as well
Why would any Irish unCivil servant want to leave their cushy numbers. Long holidays. Short hours. Great pay. No possibility of ever losing their job. No stress. No work to do. They would get the shock of their lazy lives if they went into the private sector.
To answer Simon’s question it was clearly stated at the convention that the buffer period would be of a length of 12 months. Such a period is fully justified for best practice in ethics terms
i work as a public servant and i have 8 years experience of working in the private sector, while mick’s stereotype might be true in some cases, it is not true in all cases….