The Bermuda Public Service Union has criticised the SAGE Commission for making “unnecessary” and “negative” remarks that tarnish the entire Civil Service.And the union has suggested that Civil Service heads should be blamed for any faults within the organisation rather than workers.Last week Brian Duperreault, chairman of the Savings and Government Efficiency Commission, which has been set up to root out economic waste and inefficiency in Government, described the Civil Service as “a lumbering organisation with cumbersome bureaucracy”.He added that enthusiastic staff “are worn down by a system that thwarts progress”, while “staff who feel they can sit back and coast in their jobs aren’t called to account”.Staff who violate Public Service regulations might face a mild slap on the wrist — the chances of them being dismissed are slim to none,” Mr Duperreault added.But in a statement released yesterday, a union spokesman said that Mr Duperreault’s remarks were incorrect.Referring to disciplinary procedures, the spokesman said: “There are specific roles carried out by the Cabinet Secretary and the Public Service Commission (PSU) in meting out discipline that should not be misconstrued.“It is the role of the PSU to ensure that the correct disciplinary procedures are based on facts, not hearsay; to ensure there is no political interference in attempting to enact discipline, and to oversee that hiring and promotions are done within the rules of the commission.“There is already a method to deal with non-performance — but it has to be enforced and managed by line managers.“The culture of the Civil Service is directly related to the function of the office of the Cabinet Secretary/Head of the Civil Service.“We are not sure whether Mr Duperreault’s comments are directed to the present Cabinet Secretary or the three former Cabinet Secretaries/Heads of the Civil Service who are presently serving on either the Commission or SAGE subcommittees.“It is unfortunate that Mr Duperreault has decided to release his comments about the service while the SAGE Commission continues with interviews and information gathering.“In our opinion. the SAGE Commission should not be making any further negative comments that are perceived to be attributable to the whole service. There are many civil servants and departments that are operating at or above the professional standard.“We urge that the SAGE Commission refrain from making any further public comments prior to the completion of the review of the Civil Service.”