The Minister for Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare, Professor Paul Mavima has said civil servants’ bonuses will be paid on time starting this November while negotiations for salary review are expected to resume soon.
In an interview with the Chronicle, he said he hoped the issue of reviewing civil servants’ salaries will be concluded before the end of the year. Mavima said:
Civil servants must rest assured that their 13th cheque is coming. Government will pay bonuses starting this month so there is no need to panic.
What needs to be attended to is the issue of salary review for civil servants and Government is seized with this issue. Right now a mandate is being sought from the Ministry of Finance to pay civil servants the bonuses while salary negotiations are expected to resume soon.
He said Government has given its negotiating team the green light to resume salary negotiations with civil servants’ representatives.
Since January Government has been making regular salary adjustments for its employees while pension payouts have also been adjusted to cushion pensioners. In July civil servants received a salary increase of between 45 and 50 per cent.
In April, the Government had made another increase of 25 per cent in addition to a host of non-monetary benefits.
Government workers have in recent years embarked on periodic protests demanding better salaries and improved working conditions.
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