In a message of 07 May 96 Sandy Fitzgerald wrote to me:

 AS>>   Aside from job security - which I think these days is over-rated,
 AS>>   specifically what types of benefits do the mainstream public
 AS>>   that servants get employees in private enterprise don't?

 SF>    IMO I think the biggest thing which annoyes the public is the speed
 SF>    (or lack of) at which public servants go at.  You go into any dept
 SF>    to get something done and you wait for what seems like ages.  P/Ent
 SF>    doesn't seem to be plauged by the same degree with the same problem.
 SF>    Why?  Because P/E has to compete against others in the market place
 SF>    to keep that costomer whereas govn doesn't, is one example.

     That's true - although I thought you were referring originally to the
benefits that PS enjoyed over their private sector counter parts.

     There is no doubt the absence of competition and probably lesser
accountability encourages mediocrity.  The thing to remember is that these
characteristics are also generally to be found in any large, bureaucratic
organisation, be it a Government department or a large private sector
telecommuniations company, for example.  ;-)

 SF>    You seem to under rate the job security, why?

     Well, certainly in senior positions the situation equates to the
private sector - and also in middle management, there is a high degree of
accountability, particularly in government-owned businesses, which are
pretty well on a commercial footing these days.

     There is, nonetheless, the problem of plodders as we move down the
ladder - I don't know what can be done about them. Then again, you find
them in every organisation and in actuality, the level of job security is
probably much the same.

     Still, trying telling PS's in the wake of the Government's foreshawed
budgetry cuts that they have job security and you might get a funny look or
two. :)

 SF>    Arthur I'm not saying that we shouldn't have govn run operations,
 SF> I'm
 SF>    just saying that they should be better run and more accountable to
 SF>    the people that pay them as in P/E.  We has all seen 4-6 guys
 SF>    standing around watching one guy doing a job on the side of the
 SF> road,
 SF>    why is this necessary.  I referenced the fact that the govn has a
 SF>    massive fleet of underutilized vehicles around the countryside, why
 SF>    again don't they liquidate some of these and put P/E in under
 SF>    contracts.

     Yes, I know what you're saying. Still, it's probably not fair to blame
the workers themselves - after all it's human nature - be it private or
public employmnet. Instead, we should be blaming the succession of
Governments that has allowed such situations to persist, and in cases,
flourish.

     I suppose the Government fleet has been allowed to get out of hand
because it most directly affects politicians - can't imagine them wantting
to rationalise one of their little comforts.

     Do you think I'm a bit cynical? :)

    
        // Cheers 
      \X/  Arthur                 Port Macquarie - best climate in Australia

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