The public service has often been the target of attacks from the same public that it is supposed to serve. Public officers are often accused of not doing their job well, of spending what should be working time, outside their offices and of generally not being efficient in their duties, such as taking too long in carrying out a given task.

It is often said that people who want an “easy job” should join the public service, and that employees who move from the public service to the private sector find the going tougher because they are used to the slow public service system that one does not find in private companies.

On the other hand, people who move from the private to the public sector find it hard to work within a bureaucratic system that takes so long to get things done.

Of course, these are all generalisations and, although in part they are true, it must be said that the majority of public officers do give a full day’s worth in whatever job they are doing. Just as much as, in the private sector, there are many who give their 100 per cent at work while there are others who are only interested at looking at their watch in the hope that 5pm comes sooner rather than later.

Advancement in technology has helped in no small way to improve the efficiency of the public service. The government has invested heavily in faster and more modern computer systems that have drastically reduced delays and, in many ways, have also led to people obtaining what they need without leaving their homes. The e-government services that are provided help in no small way.

With regard to time management, the government is also planning to introduce systems that improve accountability and good practices. Earlier this year, the Rural Affairs and Environment Ministry became the first ministry to make a public call to buy an automatic system for time and attendance management.

The call was for the supply of a time and attendance biometric identity verifier which is being installed in all the departments falling under its responsibility.

The more the government invests in technology and time management systems the more the public service will be able to fulfil its role more efficiently and effectively. But there are issues that have once again been put aside, and which will however need to be discussed again once the government and the unions sit down together in three years’ time to negotiate a new collective agreement.

One issue that always comes up during the negotiation talks is the half-day system during the summer months. Public officers work extra hours during the winter to make up for the hours lost in summer, but the question that is always raised is whether this system is still valid today or whether it should be scrapped altogether, putting public officers in the same position as employees in the private sector who work full day all the year round.

This is certainly a topic that will not be brought up in the coming months, with an election looming round the corner. But it is a matter that the government – whoever that may be – needs to look deeply into when the time comes.

The private sector and organisations representing private entrepreneurs have often expressed themselves against this system which slows them down too during summer if they need backing from a government department, and this is closed in the afternoons.

Much has been said and written about the need for Malta to be more competitive to be able to survive in a world that is developing fast. The removal of half-days in summer in the public service will help make Malta more competitive.