Public services, labor code,...: the major reforms announced by Mamadou Lamine Dianté

The Minister of Public Service, Labor, and Public Service Reform, Mamadou Lamine Dianté, details the main reforms undertaken by the government to modernize the Senegalese administration. In an interview with Le Soleil, he affirms that "the priority remains the quality of service provided to citizens." This transformation is based in particular on the digitization of procedures, the improvement of working conditions for civil servants, and more efficient human resource management. The objective is to move the administration toward "a culture of performance, results, and citizen satisfaction."

The physical and biometric audit of state employees, launched at the end of June, is ongoing. The supervisory authority believes it is still too early to conclude that any anomalies exist. "Any potential anomalies can only be established once this work is complete." The data collected must be verified and compared with human resources management systems. The audit should also help identify understaffing and overstaffing, improve the allocation of employees across departments and regions, and anticipate retirements.

The former president of the High Council for Social Dialogue also announced a shift in the methods used to evaluate staff and services. "Moving from a procedural approach to a results-based approach doesn't mean abandoning rules, but rather measuring more precisely what the administration actually delivers for citizens," he explained. The evaluation will notably take into account set objectives, processing times, the quality of work, and user satisfaction. It will also serve to identify training needs and recognize achievements.

The minister then addressed the reform of the Labor Code and the Social Security Code. The new Labor Code notably includes extending maternity leave to 18 weeks, strengthening the fight against discrimination, harassment, and violence in the workplace, and integrating new forms of employment such as teleworking. The Social Security Code, for its part, is to broaden coverage to include self-employed workers and those in the informal economy. Another measure announced is that periods of work that are properly declared can be counted towards pension rights, even if the employer has not paid the required contributions. The minister presented this provision as "a major step forward in terms of social justice."

Finally, the source interviewed by the national daily newspaper made strengthening the Labor Inspectorate a priority. He is advocating with the authorities to increase the number of inspectors and controllers and improve their material, technical, and logistical resources. The goal is to have an Inspectorate that is "more present on the ground, better equipped, and closer to both workers and employers," so that it can fully carry out its missions of monitoring, advising, mediating, and preventing labor disputes, the supervisory body explained.