Minister of Public Service and Administrative Reform, Joseph Le, announced, on Thursday, a zero-tolerance policy for irregular absences in the public sector. Any civil servant who is absent without justification for more than 30 days will therefore be fired. “As soon as a public servant is absent from their post for 30 days, they simply deserve dismissal or termination. A salary is compensation for work done, not work to be done. So, absenteeism and indiscipline must stop,” he said following a cabinet meeting on July 25.
This measure aims to curb a recurring problem within the public service. Out of 8,766 reported cases of irregular absences, 7,133 employees failed to provide a valid reason, according to officials. These individuals face dismissal as part of a government crackdown on the public payroll. Launched in 2018, the operation aims to identify and remove ghost workers. All affected employees have had their salaries suspended.
To enhance enforcement, the government is introducing Aigles, a new workforce management system that replaces Sigipes 2. The system uses biometrics to track attendance. “Aigles, which we are finalizing now, will be very useful because, thanks to biometrics, we will automatically detect absences,” Le said on national TV CRTV.
During the July 25 cabinet meeting, Prime Minister Joseph Dion Ngute issued clear instructions for a series of short and medium-term measures to combat this phenomenon. These measures include the activation and strict application of existing regulatory provisions and consideration of decentralizing the recruitment procedures for certain public servants.
The Prime Minister specifically requested the Minister of Public Service to prepare a draft regulatory text reminding state agents of their attendance obligations and the penalties for serious misconduct.
