Salaries and benefits in the Public Service for levels 1 to 12

The Annual Human Resource Learning Forum

Date: 24-25 February 2009
Venue: Protea Hotel: The Ranch, Polokwane

Theme: Improving HRM Efficiency

Background

As part of the interventions to reposition the human resource function in the Public Service, Cabinet approved the establishment of a learning network for HR practitioners.

The first Public Service HR Forum was hosted by the DPSA in Port Elizabeth during 2006. This was followed by the conceptualization of the six functional steering committees with representation from provincial and national departments. The aim of initiating the steering committee system was to institutionalize the HR learning network. The steering committees meet on a quarterly basis culminating in an annual forum to facilitate integration.

The DPSA hosted the second HR learning forum in Pretoria during March 2008 with the theme “Co- operation and collaboration in institutionalizing strategic HRM in the Public Service”. In the keynote address at this forum meeting, Mr K Govender, DDG: MOC expressed the need to have the forum meetings on a regular basis to facilitate integration amongst HR practitioners. He drew attention to several challenges that the Public Service faces relating to the areas of the management of performance and service delivery, diversity management, skills shortages, etc. He further alluded to a number of initiatives that have been introduced to address the HR challenges facing the Public Service, such as, the new HRD strategy, the revised remuneration policy and progress made with the development of several strategic frameworks.

The purpose

The purpose of the HR learning forum is the following:

To serve as a mechanism for communicating, interrogating and strengthening compliance with HR prescripts at all levels in the Public Service;
To discuss new policy initiatives by the DPSA, such as repositioning the human resource function, compensation strategy, etc;
To continuously support and build capacity of human resource managers through sharing of information and best practice models as well as learning networks to improve service delivery; and
To ensure that human resource managers in the public service have a complete understanding of Public Service human resource policies and are able to translate them into implementable programmes.