The Office of the Public Service Commission undertook a 2-week informal review exercise of the Public Service Act 2004 in March-April 2016, led by its Legal division.  This is part of activities under Goal 2 of the PASP and targets to have in place an updated legislation and legal framework that would support efficient and effective human resource management practices for the Government.

The informal consultative process involved both the senior management and officer level. They were divided into 4 groups and were given particular sections of the Act to discuss and assess the relevancy and application. The groups were asked to recommend alternative options if they felt the existing provisions needed to be amended to suit the current situation. The feedback from the consultations will form the basis of a Terms of Reference for the review and amendment of the Public Service Act 2004.

The next step is to engage a Legislative Drafter to draft the required amendments as per Commission’s approval. It is anticipated that the amendments would accommodate the evolving Samoa Public Service and to reflect new policy decisions in respect of Human Resources Management.