Government
Chapter 18. Representations, Appeals and Petitions
  1. The rules relating to representations by Government servants on matters connected with their conditions of service are given at General Order 946.
  2. An officer may appeal to The Governor General through The Public Service Commission against any decision in any disciplinary proceedings taken against him by an empowered officer. The procedure for appeal is laid down at Regulation 36 of The Public Service Commission Regulations and at Regulation 5 of The Public Service (Delegation of Powers) Order and is described in General Orders 1195 to 1198.
  3. A petition is a formal reference to ultimate authority for special consideration of a matter affecting a Government servant personally. If representations made in accordance with General Order 1800 are not successful and they are not concerned with a matter which is the proper subject of an appeal in accordance with General Order 1801 it is open to him to submit a formal petition to The Governor General in accordance with the rules set out at General Order 1803, or; in accordance with the procedure set out in any recognition agreement with a recognized Union.
  4. The following rules must be observed in preparing, presenting and handling petitions:
    1. A petition must be submitted through the petitioner's Head of Department and The Permanent Secretary of his Ministry, to The Permanent Secretary of The Public Service providing sufficient copies to enable each officer through whom it passes to retain one copy. A petition must be forwarded without delay, together with any comments it is desired to make. Copies of petitions sent direct will be ignored.
    2. A petition must bear the signature, or; independently attested mark, and the address of the petitioner. When written by a person other than the petitioner, the signature and address of the writer must be included.
    3. When a person submits a petition above his own signature, (as a petitioner, not merely as a letter writer) on behalf of another person, or; persons, the petition should contain a statement that he has been asked to write on behalf of the other person or persons.
    4. A petition which:
      1. does not comply with these rules, or;
      2. deals with a case in which legal remedies are still open, or;
      3. is illegible, or; worded in abusive, or; improper language, or;
      4. merely repeats the substance of a previous petition without introducing new matter, will not be entertained.
    5. A petition should conclude by stating concisely the nature of the redress sought, and a petition which exceeds in length two pages of foolscap must also include a summary of the reasons adduced in support of the redress sought.
    6. When a petition is submitted more than six months after the decision complained of has been given, the petitioner must explain the reason for the delay. Failure to give an adequate explanation will materially weaken the petitioner's case.
  5. An ex-Government servant may also send a petition in accordance with these rules on matters relating to his conditions of employment as a Government servant, or; his conditions as a pensioner of Government.
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