The Pressure on government intensifies - The Call for a Leaner Administration
Escalating Influence of High-Ranking Officials - intensifying public pressure on the administration - Intensifying Political Pressure: Increasing Number of High-Ranking Officials Pushing for Government Change
Here's the scoop: The State Chancellery and ministries are under the microscope upon criticism from the State Audit Office about the escalating number of personnel in these sectors. The opposition party, the CDU, is pushing for drastic changes. Daniel Peters, the CDU's parliamentary group leader in the state parliament, called for stripping at least 20% of the core administration jobs by 2035 to prevent the economy from losing precious skilled workers.
Why all the fuss? Well, it's believed that more and more posts have been created in the State Chancellery and ministries for political steering, strategy, legislation, and oversight. The result? More flashy ad campaigns, better social media presence, while the actual administration work takes a back seat.
The German Civil Servants' Association in MV voices similar concerns. They argue that the number of management positions is on the rise, while competent personnel is becoming scarce at lower levels, such as in the police, financial administration, and education.
A loss of trust in public service could be a risk if savings continue to be made among productive personnel. According to the state chairman of the civil servants' trade union, Dietmar Knecht, around 70% of the population no longer trust the state's ability to act, which is dangerous for our democracy.
The association also takes issue with the rise of 'special service contracts'. Knecht claims these contracts bypass regular career paths in 'beamtenrecht', creating inequalities among colleagues and demotivating employees, especially those aiming for career advancement.
In the past ten years, there's been a 22% increase in personnel in the State Chancellery and the eight ministries. The number of positions in the upper and lower state authorities, including teaching staff and police, has increased by 10.8%. However, the population in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania has slightly decreased during this period.
According to Peters, the SPD-led government lacks an effective plan to adjust the number of positions in the state administration to demographic development. Instead, he claims the number of positions has continued to rise, even doubling in the State Chancellery and ministries compared to the state administration as a whole.
Currently, saving personnel seems achievable, claims Peters, through a digitalization push, especially given the impending retirement of many employees. He announced a comprehensive proposal to be unveiled during the next state parliament session aimed at capitalizing on all efficiency potential using deregulation, digitalization, artificial intelligence, automation, and robotics.
- The CDU's parliamentary group leader, Daniel Peters, calls for a comprehensive policy revision, focusing on policy-and-legislation, to reduce the number of administrative jobs by 20% by 2035, as part of the politics surrounding the current push for a leaner administration.
- The German Civil Servants' Association in MV has raised concerns about the growing number of management positions in the State Chancellery and ministries, which they believe is leading to a shortage of competent personnel at lower levels, contributing to general news stories about a loss of trust in public service and potential risks for democracy.
