Last update - 00:00 06/03/2007
New plan would deny Foreign Ministry administrators diplomatic posts
By Amiram Barkat, Haaretz Correspondent
Administrative employees of the Foreign Ministry hired from this year onward would not be able to transfer to diplomatic posts under a proposed ministry reorganization.
Ministry director general Aharon Abramovitch presented the plan to union representatives on Monday.
The most recent state comptroller's report sharply criticized the ministry's personnel management, including the transfer of unqualified administrative personnel to diplomatic posts as dozens of qualified diplomats were left without postings for months. This situation has sparked severe unhappiness among the ministry's diplomatic staff.
Currently, administrative workers have five years from their employment date in which to fulfill the entry requirements for the ministry's cadet course.
The proposal, formulated in cooperation with the attorney general and the Civil Service Commission, would also limit the terms of senior ministry officials and offer incentives to outstanding workers and those who accept postings in countries with difficult service conditions. In a letter sent to ministry employees on Monday, Abramovitch wrote that the plan aims to improve the ministry's use of its professional staff in consultation with the workers.