• What is a public official?
• Public official and public servant
• Public employee and public servant
• Types of public servants
• The ethics of the public official

We explain what a public official is, its ethics and characteristics. Also, what types of public servants exist.

A public official is an employee of the State with decision-making power.

What is a public official?

The civil servant is a person who works at the service of Condition. He is appointed by a competent authority (in accordance with the legal system), to carry out the highest level positions among the public powers and autonomous bodies.

Has the authority to make the decisionsAlthough it is not its exclusive function, it is only one of the characteristics that differentiates it from the rest of the positions.

All employees of the state sector (whether civil servants or of another rank), are governed by the “administrative law public". However, they do not correspond to the same rules to ministers, secretaries of state, members of the cabinet of ministers, or administrative employees. Each rank is governed by contracts specials with a certain level of responsibilities and benefits.

The State has mechanisms to contract officials objectively (by merit or public competitions). In addition, it offers greater than the private sector (such as shorter working hours or greater number of vacation days) as an incentive so that the best trained and qualified personnel have interest in occupying this type of position at the service of the State.

Public official and public servant

The concept of public servant includes all workers who are part of the State (including civil servants), who perform tasks in the legislative, executive, administrative or judicial spheres, or in institutions that depend on the State, such as hospitals, schools or police forces security.

In all cases, the public servant can be hired (permanently or temporarily) in exchange for remuneration and to provide a service of social utility on the basis of the Justice, the reason and the argumentation above any individual interest.

Public employee and public servant

The public employee is a type of servant of the State that can carry out functions in a ministry, a public establishment, a superintendency, an administrative department or its equivalents in the territorial scope. He is the one who performs various tasks and executes the orders of his superiors, the officials.

An example of a public employee is a social worker who performs assistance and support tasks aimed at young people with problems of addictions in a certain territory. In general, the social worker acts in the context of a program implemented by the State or in the event of a specific emergency action.

Types of public servants

Some public officials have a higher hierarchy than others, such as ministers.

There are four types of public servants:

• The career employee. It is that person linked to a public administration for a fixed employment relationship of a permanent and remunerated type, under a statute regulated by administrative law. This category of employee is subdivided into: group A (a degree qualification is required), group B (a higher technical degree is required) and group C (a graduate degree is required). education secondary).
• The temporary employee. It is that person hired by the State in case of circumstantial or urgent need. For example, in the absence of career officials for a certain position, for the execution of temporary programs or to temporarily replace the incumbents.
• The labor employee. It is that person who, in virtue of an employment contract and according to the contracting modalities provided in the legislation employment (temporary, permanent or public), provides paid services to the public administration.
• The casual employee. It is that person who performs special and specific functions (for example, advisory), whose appointment is free and his dismissal is conditioned according to the position to which he provides services. Their remuneration comes from the budget foreseen and destined for this type of position.

The ethics of the public official

The public official provides his services to satisfy a demand collective interest of general interest and its work is subject to a special regime of public Law. Your job involves a responsibility and a commitment to the communityTherefore, it must comply with certain ethical principles that depend, in turn, on the cultural characteristics of each country.

The ethics general public servant responds to two fundamental aspects:

• The moral character. It is the individual's own, that is, the awareness of their actions that must conform to certain standards of conduct, with responsibility, compliance and honesty.
• The threat of sanctions. For those who commit irregularities during the performance of their functions and duties. Ethics in public service is directly related to the conduct of the worker.

The values The most common related to public service are:

• Watch over the interests of the State, aimed at satisfying the general and public well-being over the individual.
• Be responsible for their actions during the performance of the public function.
• Be honest in each of your public service duties.
• Train and improve in your area of ​​work.
• Respect the equal opportunities, without discriminating.
• Comply with the Constitution of your country and enforce it.
• Know the relevant code of standards in that country and enforce it.