Establishment

Pursuant to Decision No. 7, dated November 2, 1994, the Cabinet agreed to hire workers contracted on an hourly basis to handle activities at the Ministry of Finance’s IT Center. The Ministry reported at the time that the required posts were temporary and that there was no pressing need to recruit full-time employees, because of the uncertainty about how long the workforce might be needed or the exact nature of their duties.

Scandal

What started off on a short-term basis turned into permanent employment lasting 20 years amid an increase in the number of employees who, in the majority of cases, are said to lack the necessary qualifications for the job, having little if any knowledge in computer and accounting literacy. This workforce has expanded from 25 to 502 employees, some of whom have been employed since 1994 and others who have joined later. Dealings with this workforce used to occur without the knowledge of the Ministry of Finance General Directorate and many were recruited for personal or political reasons, including foreign nationals and retirees over the age of 64.

It has emerged that the files of many such employees are devoid of documentation and personal records, which has made it impossible to track the date of their employment.

Failed Compromise

Confronted by this scandal, the Ministry of Finance suggested the introduction of a provisional cadre that would include these employees in order to deploy them in the Ministry’s units depending on the need. However, the Council of the Civil Service turned down the proposal as it was at odds with the laws regulating public employment and violated the rules dictating competitive examinations to test the merit of civil servants. In turn, the Committee of Legislation and Consultations challenged the establishment of new positions on the grounds that such a proposal would lead to permanent, not temporary employment as alleged. A short-term worker is one who assumes position set up for a limited period of time and for a specific purpose, which is not the case at the Ministry’s IT Center. The initiation of new positions without a clear time limit for their dissolution would only be aimed at settling the situation of the 502 workers. Against the staunch objection to the introduction of new positions, the employment of the personnel in question was neither settled nor legalized and the workers maintained their jobs on an hourly basis despite their services being dispensable and their competency questionable.