Controversial personnel policy: controversy in the Seco

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The personnel policy at the State Secretariat of Economic Affairs (Seco) with Helene Budliger Artieda (58) at the helm is something to talk about. The Federal Council still has to give its formal approval, but as Blick knows, Beatrice Maser Mallor (62) can look forward to a prestigious promotion. The former Swiss ambassador to Vietnam moves to the World Bank. As a member of the Executive Committee, she belongs to the illustrious circle of the world’s most important development financiers. A job with influence and a generous salary. Maser Mallor will earn 234,000 francs in Washington, plus subsidies for a luxury apartment and expenses. This means that she can cash in her pension before her 64th birthday.

The staff was transferred to Seco, where Beatrice Maser Mallor is known. She was once head of the Foreign Trade Directorate here. And yet the personnel decision causes a lot of confusion, because: Does it make sense to appoint a woman for a four-year term shortly before her retirement? The Seco makes it clear: the pension for certain positions – for women such as Maser Mallor the 64th birthday applies – can be abolished. In plain language: if Maser Mallor wants, she can also be the Swiss voice at the World Bank in Washington as a senior.

Key positions will go to people outside Seco

But other personnel decisions are also controversial. A manager complains: “It’s a disadvantage to work at Seco.” Recently, key positions have often gone to people who work outside Seco. Specific:

• Thomas Marthaler (62): The head of finance of the State Secretariat for Migration (SEM) moves to Seco and becomes head of human resources and finance.
• Maryline Basset (48): The manager worked in various positions in the federal government, including at the VBS and the WBF, before taking over as chief of staff at Seco in July.
• Andrea Rauber Saxer (55): The green-liberal candidate for the National Council, who during the election campaign, among other things, pointed out the “drugs and alcohol scene” around the train station in Brugg AG, has made a career as a diplomat and was a foreign policy advisor to the federal council members Hans -Rudolf Merz (81) and Doris Leuthard (60). After losing the elections in October, Rauber Saxer can look forward to a career move at Seco: on January 1, she took over as head of the Bilateral Economic Relations department.

It is not unusual for authorities to hunt foreign soil in search of the brightest minds. This can even be an advantage for exchanges and networking within the federal government. And yet the personnel policy of State Secretary Helene Budliger Artieda frustrates leading Seco employees. “It’s not nice when you see that management prefers to promote external people,” says a manager. Seco contradicts this: “Since her appointment, the State Secretary has also selected four internal people from Seco’s middle management as new management members.”

State Secretary Helene Budliger Artieda has been leading Seco for over a year. You hear different things about their administration. Some praise the breath of fresh air she brought to Seco. Others think Budliger Artieda could take a tougher line and crack down on Russian sanctions. An assessment by Simon Plüss (54), who controls the export of war materials at Seco, caused dissatisfaction in the spring. Plüss concluded in an email that 96 Ruag tanks could be sold to Germany in northern Italy and reconditioned for Ukraine. However, he later drew the red card and embarrassed VBS boss Viola Amherd (61) in front of NATO partners.

The misjudgment did not bother Plüss: in September he was promoted to head of export controls and sanctions. “At least it’s an internal promotion,” some at Seco complain.

Source:Blick