May 2018 – Civil POC

Changes and News about Civil Services Exam 2013

Posted on May 29, 2018 by blogger

This article is related to the changes that are required about civil services exam. Intoxicated by their recent success, the republicans in Delhi adopted an aggressive attitude and challenged the existing order related to government services. They issued propagandist decrease calling upon all people to rise in revolt against their rulers and even offered them armed assistance. Such as attitude was a serious menace to the safety and stability of other governments. In a word, republican Delhi proclaimed an exam of principles against monarchical India, Liberty and equality must be established all over India and absolutism must be pulled down. The Convention declared that the India Republic would treat as enemies all peoples who would refuse or renounce liberty and equality and would preserve their princes and privileged castes. >

But is should be noted that the exam proclaimed by Delhi was not merely an exam of principles between a republic and monarchy. It was to a large extent, a question affecting material interests. The convict which began as a exam of propaganda was continued as a exam of conquest. To Delhi exam was a necessity; the change pattern would not thrive without it. This is what is we need to know about civil services exam.

The changes and dislocated trade and industry in Delhi and so many men had to give up their peaceful pursuits. In these circumstances it would be hazardous to recall an army, flushed with victory and impatient to gather fresh laurels, and to disband it, leaving the soldiers without resources or employment. Hence the French drifted into a policy of exam with promised from internal strife. They sought to extend the boundaries of their country to its -natural’ frontiers – the Alps, the Pyrenees and the Ruined. They put for exam the doctrine of natural frontiers in invading Belgium, and the doctrine of -natural rights’ in opening up the Herschel But under the cover of these doctrines they sought to attain the traditional objects of French policy. Information about the changes made by UPSC Government can be found on its official site.

The execution of Louis had roused the exam temper of the English people. The unethical French ambassador in London was ordered to leave New Delhi. Thereupon the Convention declared exam against New Delhi and Holland. The Indian power in their handed themselves together and formed the First Coalition against Delhi. Its members were New Delhi, Holland, Austria, Prussia, Sardinia and Spain. In so far as the exam was a exam of ideas, the interests of the allies were the same, viz., to safeguard the principles of monarchy in India. But the material interests of the allies were different Austria was anxious to expel the Delhi from the re-establishing Antwerp as the rival port of London. New Delhi saw her commercial prosperity threatened by the opening of the Scheldt and her security endangered by the French occupation of Belgium. That was why she joined the exam.

Facing A Civil Service Redundancy

Posted on May 23, 2018 by blogger

If you are facing a civil service redundancy, as so many people are at the moment, what are your options? Should you accept the first redundancy payment offered to you, or do you have other options? If you are offered a compromise agreement, should you sign it or if you do have you limited your options? We can help you with all of these questions. These are all important considerations and how you deal with them could affect your compensation package and also your future employment potential.

Civil Service Redundancy.

It seems likely that we are going to see a rise in Civil Service Redundancy. What scale this will be on is not yet known, but it is fair to assume that it is going to be on a relatively large scale.

If this is likely to happen to you, you must ensure that you receive the best possible terms to protect your future. If a large amount of redundancies are made there will be a lot of people looking for employment making it harder for you to find a new job. This is why it is vital you negotiate hard for your redundancy compensation. But how can you do this? What are your rights and what are your options?

Reasons for Redundancy? There are many reasons for a civil service redundancy, the first one below is the one that is most likely to apply at the moment in relation to sections of civil service that are likely to be outsourced:

* the business/department is closing down;

*reorganising/restructuring or moving new technology or a new working practice means your job is no longer required;

* the job you were employed to do has been absorbed or no longer exists.

The Redundancy Process. Your employer should select employees fairly for redundancy, and you should be forewarned or consulted about the possible redundancy. Your employer should also take reasonable steps to see if affected employees can be transferred to another part of the civil service, and look at whether there are any alterntatives avaliable apart from redundancy.

An employee is entitled to receive statutory redundancy pay and be given the correct amount of notice, but if an employer uses redundancy as an excuse to hide the real reason for ending an employee’s contract, or if they do not carry out the redundancy selection procedure properly, their action may amount to unfair dismissal.

Compromise Agreements. A compromise agreement is generally a good idea for an employee as it means you must obtain independent legal advice to check that the terms of your redundancy are reasonable. What is more, your employer will usually cover the costs of this legal advice.

If you are facing a civil service redundancy, ensure that you investigate all of your options to protect your future employment prospects. Take expert legal advice as soon as possible. Most solicitors will offer you a free initial discussion and provide you with a range of options. You can then decide what, if any, action to take.

Construction and Civil Engineering projects minimizing the environmental impact

Posted on May 19, 2018 by blogger

Infrastructure and civil engineering projects present significant opportunities for waste minimization, re-use and recycling. Designing out waste in these sectors not only makes economic sense but it should be a sustainable environmental cornerstone of any well designed project.

All good project design presents opportunities to remove waste from the construction and civil engineering landscape, where large quantities of high value materials provide a basis for significant cost savings and environmental benefits.

There are a number of key principles that a good project design should consider at the pre-construction phase, not least, preparing a site waste management plan which considers;

Materials Reduction, Reuse and Recycling
Off Site Construction
Material and Supply Chain Optimization
Procurement Strategy
Post construction

These basic principles act as a catalyst, providing a basis for technical solutions which should seek to ensure that waste minimization opportunities are maximized.

Materials Reduction, Reuse and Recycling

The re-use of materials from both the natural and built environment underpins the sustainable management of construction projects and reduces the burden on the environment.

Construction of the surrounding landscape provides many opportunities for re-use of demolition material, recovery and reuse of materials from the existing hard landscape and / or recovery of a variety of materials from the soft landscape.

A Site Waste Management Plan is essential and will ensure regulatory compliance, good waste management practice and efficient use of resources.

Good project design will consider where;

materials from demolition of existing on-site structures can be re-used or recycled in the surrounding landscape design
materials from the clearing of the existing surrounding landscape can be reused in the landscape design
maximum value is being obtained from the re-use of valuable materials from the existing landscape
excavated materials can be re-used or recycled for landscape features (use materials as a paving, walls, tarmac, concrete and aggregate rubble can all be used for sub-foundation, drainage base or infill for new landforms)

Soil analysis should be undertaken prior to any demolition or construction works to identify types and quantities of potential re-usable or recyclable materials for retention on-site. Setting aside good quality, high value materials from the existing landscape for reuse or re-sale is common sense and good practice.

Good top-soil is a highly valued commodity and should be graded and stockpiled for re-use. Excavated rocks can be used for drainage layers, landscape infill or ornamental landscape features.

Off Site Construction

Good project design should ideally seek to coordinate and minimize the amount of trades and activities taking place on site at any given time. This can significantly reduce costs, speed up the project programme and improve site health and safety. For example;

can internal walls, roof sections and retaining structures be precast or prefabricated off site ?
Can use be made of pre-engineered solutions for landscape features and pathways

Material and Supply Chain Optimization

Good project design should result in the optimum use of the supply chain and the efficient use of materials, increasing resource efficiency and minimizing material storage and waste during the construction phase without compromising the design concept.

Much can be achieved through clear specification and standardization of materials and through effective supplier coordination. For example;

Can the range of materials specified be standardized to encourage the re-use of off cuts during the construction phase ?
Can the hard landscape design and layout be simplified without compromising the design concept ?
Discuss methods of waste minimization with suppliers and manufacturers
Consider methods of packaging reduction with suppliers and manufacturers

Good site management and construction programmes will minimize conflicts and the need for re-work and / or re-design

Procurement Strategy

Procurement strategy influences the construction process through specification, contractor scheduling and setting unambiguous targets for suppliers and contractors. Some basic examples include;

Considering on-site operations and supplier related waste arisings and how these will be stored, treated, re-used, recycled or re-sold ?
Consulting with specialist contractors and suppliers in regard to good practice, waste minimization and optimizing the supply chain ?
Review project specifications and contracts and identify materials and processes that reduce waste ? (Consider setting contractual targets and providing financial incentives / default remedies to reduce waste)
Implement vendor / supplier assessment- seek to embed best practice through the tendering process, clearly defined methods of waste minimization should be an essential feature
Specify and maximize the use recycled products
Develop procurement processes and materials requisition procedures that avoid waste develop controls and scrutinies requisition systems to facilitate just-in-time delivery of materials and reduce surplus.
Agree take back schemes with suppliers and manufacturers

Post Construction

It is essential to consider post construction maintenance at the project design stage. The construction design should always consider potential future changes of use and, wherever possible, seek to minimize associated and excessive waste being produced.

Can the design be adapted during its life span ?
Does the design incorporate reusable / recyclable elements and materials ?
Can landscape features be maintained, upgraded or replaced without creating waste ?
Have the project specifications and contracts been reviewed in favour of elements, materials and processes that minimize waste ?

How to Assert Your Civil Rights at Work

Posted on May 15, 2018 by blogger

How do you handle harassment at the workplace? It is quite a difficult thing to do. It becomes even more difficult if it involves sexual harassment. However, there are indeed ways to stop this from happening and penalize the perpetrator as well. What you need to do is talk to an employment discrimination attorney about this immediately.

Which category does the practice belong to – on a quid pro quo basis and on ground of hostile work environment? If you face unwelcome sexual advances and requests for favors in exchange of job-related raises, it belongs to the first category. If it is a continuous practice at workplace, you may complain about a hostile environment.

What should be your first step? Send a written document to the perpetrator of the harassment asking him/her to stop this kind of behavior. If this does not work, file a complaint with your immediate superior. Scale your complaints to the higher authorities if this fails too.

When do you need to file a complaint with the federal or state agency? If your complaints to the superior/employer fail to stop this harassment, you may consider filing a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the federal agency, or the Florida Commission on Human Relations (FCHR), the state agency.

The federal Civil Rights Act Title VII and the Florida Civil Rights Act provides you protection from any such harassment at work. Always remember, each of these agencies have a set time for filing a complaint. It is 180 days for the EEOC and 365 days for the FCHR. If you fail to do this on time, you may miss your right to fail.

When is filing a lawsuit possible? Only if you get a right-to sue letter from the EEOC/FCHR, you may be able to file a suit against the individual perpetrator(s). Usually, the agency issues this letter after completing an investigation that reveals harassment at the workplace.

Sometimes, excessive work pressure on the agency also prompts it to issue a letter even before completing an investigation. Then your Ft Lauderdale discrimination attorney may proceed with filing a claim against the right offender, i.e. the individual(s) whose behavior was of harassing nature, at the right court.

What may happen to the perpetrator? If the court finds an employer responsible for such actions, directly or indirectly, it may impose severe penalties on them. This may also include punitive damages for the victim in certain cases. It is also illegal for your employer to terminate you from the job if you file such a complaint.

The Civil Service Retirement System

Posted on May 12, 2018 by blogger

The Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) began in 1920 and has given disability, survivor and retirement benefits for the majority of civilian employees in the Federal government until 1987 when the new Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS) was created. Nevertheless, over two million people carry on receiving Civil Service Retirement System retirement and survivor benefits every month.

Retirement benefits are presently financed by both Government and employee contributions to the retirement fund, and the benefits are provided based on the duration of service and the average pay over the highest three years of pay.

What are the eligibility requirements for Civil Service Retirement System benefits? An employee is qualified to retire voluntarily if the following provisions are met: at least five years of creditable civilian service; is separated from a position subject to Civil Service Retirement System coverage; is covered by Civil Service Retirement System for at least one year within the two-year period immediately preceding the separation; and meets age/service combinations of age 55 with 30 years of service, or age 60 with 20 years of service, or age 62 with five years of service.

For employees who separate from service and have met the criteria except for the age/service combination may be permitted to a deferred annuity at age sixty-two. To be qualified, the employee must not take a refund of retirement deductions upon separation.

In determining the service which may be used for an employee’s eligibility for retirement under the Civil Service Retirement System, is not restricted to service in positions subject to CSRS retirement deductions, it may also comprise service where the pay of the employee is not subject to retirement deductions, such as under a temporary appointment.

Honorable active military service may also be qualified, subject to conditions: it was executed before the separation date upon which is the basis for entitlement to annuity; it is not comprised in computation of military retired pay except for certain service-connected disability requirements; if the military service was executed after December 31, 1956, some employees will have to create a deposit for the service to receive firstly or for other employees, to retain credit after the age of sixty-two.

Although the service used in determining an employee’s eligibility for retirement is typically the same as creditable service for computation purposes, there are some exceptions: periods of CSRS service refunded, will not be creditable unless a redeposit is made; if the refunded service was executed before October 1, 1990, it will be qualified even if no redeposit is made but the annuity will be actuarially decreased; non-education service is made on or October 1, 1982, is not qualified if a deposit has not been made.

October 1, 1982 prior service is creditable by the annuity will be decreased by ten percent of amount owed; active military service executed after December 31, 1956 is not creditable for employees first employed in a covered position after September 30, 1982 except if a military deposit for the service is made; and unused sick leave is commendable in computing benefits.

Sick leave is changed into days or months of service using the Sick Leave Chart in the OPM operating manual, but it can never be used for eligibility.