Federal employees, including OSC employees, are protected
from prohibited personnel practices and may seek redress
from OSC, but conflicts of interest can result when an
OSC employee levels and allegation at top OSC officials,
the report also said.
It said an external grievance process could be needed
for OSC employees, similar to those at the Merit Systems
Protection Board and the Equal Employment Opportunity
Commission.
“Steps could be taken to ensure that OSC employees have
alternative avenues of recourse; for example, they could
have an external investigation conducted through an
independent body or broader appeal rights to the MSPB,”
the report said.
However, it said OSC would need to be given additional
authority to implement those options.
OSC has been under investigation for allegedly retaliating
against 20 career staff that may have questioned management
decisions and forcing them to either relocate from Washington
D.C. to field offices or resign.
Government watchdog groups such as the Project on Government
Oversight complained in a letter to the Senate that it seems
to have been done to make room for handpicked loyalists to
special counsel, Scott Bloch.
Bloch said in a press release that the relocations had been
decided on in order to “enhance field operations and power
down from a D.C.-centric based operation.”
