MBABANE – Government has improved its offer for the implementation of the salary review for civil servants.
According to feedback given to hundreds of civil servants who stood in solidarity with their leadership who took part in the Joint Negotiation Forum (JNF), government increased the offer to E1.29 billion from E500 million.
This means that government added E790 million. Swaziland National Association of Teachers (SNAT) President Mbongwa Dlamini, who forms part of the negotiating team, told the workers that government came with the new offer after a series of adjournments during the course of the negotiations.
The offer extended by government on salary review has been improved by over 100 per with some posts getting over 400 per cent.
Dlamini stated that as representatives, they did not even want to know how the new offer would be shared among the civil servants.
He said it came up during the negotiations that what government had put on the table was initially not what was proposed by the consultant.
“Government gave us new percentages and requested to pay us 64 per cent of what had been proposed by the consultant. Government changed the terms to phase payments and requested to pay the remaining balance in the first week of July next year. Government requested to pay us 50 per cent housing allowances and travelling allowances in full,” he said.
Dlamini stated that the consultant did not propose anything, meaning their salaries would remain the same. However, he stated that government proposed a three per cent once-off increment for the lowest paid civil servants. He said government also proposed E2 000 for each of the lowest paid civil servants per month.
This, he said, came after the negotiating team requested government to come with an offer for the lowest paid civil servant as they got to the same shop with the highest paid civil servant.
“Government requested to owe us 50 per cent of the housing allowance and back pay us by 15 months later,” Dlamini said.
The SNAT president said the negotiating team also raised concerns about the civil servants who live in tents in remote areas. He said they requested government to consider them for housing allowances because tents do not suffice as houses.
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Civil servants petition PM
MBABANE – Civil servants now want the Prime Minister Russell Mmiso Dlamini to instruct the Ministry of Public Service to sign the salary review according to the will of workers.
The over 1 000 civil servants registered their wish to the primer through a petition delivered at the Cabinet offices yesterday.
Not being the first time, the civil servants said they would not accept anything less than E1.7 billion from the proposed salary review.
They referred to the government offer of E500 million to an insult to them while emphasising that they would not allow phase payments. The workers stated that phase payments would not meet their needs, given the nine year- delay and the inflation. They also stated that they would not be accepting the proposed high increase for the highly paid employees while the lowest paid employees had no increment. They said government should consider that all employees including the lowest and the highest paid go to the same shop.
“We want equal pay for all workers doing the same job. We want our money paid this month in full as per the agreement,” reads the petition that was received by Acting Principal Secretary Lindiwe Dlamini on behalf of the primer. The workers gave the premier 24 hours to respond and addressed their demands. They added that they would make follow ups until they are heard.
*Full article available in our publication.
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