Civil service pay review: Lowest paid to get E268.42 increase

Mbabane – The lowest paid civil servants stand to get E268.42 while the highest may see their salary rise by E34 261.33.

This is provided by the negotiations, through the Joint Negotiation Forum (JNF), which are expected to begin tomorrow and will result in the Government Negotiations Team (GNT) and the Public Sector Unions (PSUs) settling on Scenario III of the 463-page final draft of the Government of Eswatini Remuneration Review Report, dated September 29, 2025. The report was delivered on Monday by the consultant, Emergence Human Capital.

The Secretary to Cabinet, Victor Nxumalo, is paid a monthly basic salary of E59 054.50 according to the 2025/26 Establishment Register. The recommended structure on notch one of job grade F5 is E93 315.83.

The unions, who represent a fraction of the 44 000 civil servants, as well as the employer, are hoping for Scenario III. They claim the proposed allowances will improve their members’ lives. It is recommended that labourers, cleaners, domestic workers, assistant housekeepers and dishwashers, who are paid at the job grade A1, should have their remuneration reviewed by E268.42. Also, night watchmen, groundsmen and messengers, among civil servants paid under job grade A2, notch one, will have a reduction of E463.84 in their basic monthly salary before tax obligations if nothing changes during the negotiations.

It is recommended that drivers with a light-duty licence have their basic monthly salary reduced by E815.25. These drivers, along with all those remunerated with job grade A3, will have their salaries drop from E5 462.83 to E4 647.58. Also, lower-ranking staff such as typists, clerks, immigration officers and secretaries, are also set for upward adjustments, with salaries projected to rise as high as E11 000 per month.

The recommendation to reduce their salaries is said to be based on the argument that lower grades are paid higher than Lesotho and this is to assist in making them similar to the region’s countries with a similar economy.

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