Senior civil servants to be appointed

Proponents of the legislation which was passed in the lower house of parliament, claim it is intended to remove bureaucrats loyal to the previous government.

“This bill will, in my opinion, entirely eliminate the social pathology which we have had to deal with in the years 2007-2015.

“It will be possible to immediately fire any person for whom the fact or even the suspicion of them having been involved in this pathology is confirmed,” argued Beata Kempa, PiS MP and head of the Prime Minister’s Chancellery.

The PiS MP Maciej Małecki accused the Civic Platform (PO) party, the main partner in the coalition government that lasted 2007-2015, of having tried to bring politics into the civil service.

However the legislation removes a requirement that the head of the civil service must not have been a member of a political party in the five years before they assume office.

In future it will be sufficient for the person not to be a member of a party at the time of appointment.

Following the enactment of the legislation, all contracts of current senior civil servants will expire after thirty days, unless it is decided to offer them new employment terms on an individual basis.

The PO MP Marek Wójcik claimed that the changes could lead to the removal of 1,600 experienced bureaucrats, something which the proposers have denied will take place.

In addition to affecting the civil service, the legislation also removes the open recruitment process for the head of the Social Insurance Institution (ZUS) which is currently in place. (sl/rg)

Source: PAP