トランプ米政権、試用期間中の連邦職員解雇指示を撤回

【ワシントンＡＦＰ＝時事】米連邦政府の人事管理局（ＯＰＭ）は４日、試用期間中の連邦職員の解雇指示を撤回する新指針を発表した。（写真は、米ワシントンの連邦議会議事堂前で、ドナルド・トランプ大統領が国際開発庁〈ＵＳＡＩＤ〉を事実上閉鎖する決定を下したことに抗議する人々〈資料写真〉）
　ＯＰＭは１月２０日、各省庁に対し、試用期間中の職員の大量解雇を指示。しかし、カリフォルニア州の連邦地裁判事は２月２７日、これを「違法」と判断し、撤回を命じた。
　これを受け、ＯＰＭは新指針で、「ＯＰＭが試用期間中の職員に関して特定の成果に基づく行動（解雇）を取るように指示しているわけではないことに留意」するよう呼び掛けた上で、「人事に関しては各機関が最終的な意思決定権と責任を有する」ことを確認した。
　新指針はまた、各機関の人員削減案の策定期限を９月１３日まで延期するとしている。
　全米行政府職員組合（ＡＦＧＥ）のエベレット・ケリー会長はＡＦＰに声明を寄せ、「ＯＰＭが１月２０日のメモを修正したことは、試用期間中の連邦職員の大量解雇を違法に指示したことを明確に認めたものだ」との見解を示した。【翻訳編集ＡＦＰＢＢＮｅｗｓ】
〔ＡＦＰ＝時事〕（2025/03/05-17:04）

President Donald Trump's administration appeared to walk back an order on Tuesday that called for the mass firing of federal workers still serving their probationary periods.
The updated guidance comes days after a federal judge in California ruled that the January 20 directive from the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) was unlawful and ordered it to be temporarily rescinded.
Please note that, by this memorandum, OPM is not directing agencies to take any specific performance-based actions regarding probationary employees. Agencies have ultimate decision-making authority over, and responsibility for, such personnel actions, the OPM's updated guidance said Tuesday.
The memo adds that agencies now have until September 13 to devise their own proposals for implementing workforce reductions.
Responding to a case brought by employees at six government agencies, Judge Willi Judge William Alsup ruled Thursday that the directive was unlawful, invalid, and must be stopped and rescinded. The next hearing in the case is scheduled for March 13.
OPM's revision of its Jan. 20 memo is a clear admission that it unlawfully directed federal agencies to carry out mass terminations of probationary employees, American Federation of Government Employees National President Everett Kelley said in a statement to AFP.
Every agency should immediately rescind these unlawful terminations and reinstate everyone who was illegally fired, he added.
Thousands of employees still in their probationary period -- meaning they were hired or promoted within the past one to two years, depending on the agency -- have already been dismissed as part of efforts by the so-called Department of Government Efficiency, led by billionaire Elon Musk, to shrink the federal workforce.
It remains unclear what will happen next.
Cannot wait to see if that means we can go back to work! a scientist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration told AFP. The scientist was among approximately 700 people laid off from the globally renowned agency last week.
Many of those dismissed were told they were being let go due to an alleged inability to fulfill their duties, despite having received exemplary performance reviews.
The scientist, who requested anonymity, added that even if employees were only temporarily rehired only to later face termination through a traditional reduction in force procedure -- they would at least receive greater protections, including advanced notice and severance pay.