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| National |
| No salary increase for civil servants,No salary increase for civil servants |
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by
Gedion Munthali ,Gedion Munthali , 09 January 2004
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14:32:03
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Finance Minister Friday Jumbe has said an instant revision of civil servants’ salaries and conditions of service as announced recently will not be possible because “I do not have any meat in my budget.”
Jumbe was reacting to a recent announcement by the Civil Servants Trade Union (CSTU) that President Bakili Muluzi directed during a meeting with the union that civil servants’ salaries be increased and conditions of service for the public workers be improved immediately.
The Finance Minister said although government recognises the need to have the wage policy of the civil servants revised, the announcement by the CSTU was premature.
“Government recognises the importance of revising the wage policy very much, and we will be implementing that policy as soon as it is possible to do so,” said Jumbe.
He did not indicate how soon that will be, but said currently it is not practicable.
“The wage policy will be implemented, but at the moment my budget does not have any meat. I do not see how at the moment I can factor the adjustments in my budget,” he said. “That is the stage at which we are.”
He said when it becomes possible to implement the policy “I will come up with supplementary numbers and will seek the approval of the House.”
CSTU president Thomas Banda confirmed on Thursday it was his body that made the announcement on the radio and on television, saying “although the technicalities were yet to be worked out, it was imperative to inform our constituents about the outcome of our meeting with the President.”
“Our constituents have been waiting long enough. Our negotiations with the President were the last resort. It was, therefore, wise and proper that our constituents know what had come out of those negotiations,” said Banda. “We wanted to lessen tension.”
The civil service has a workforce of about 120,000 and the current minimum wage stands at K1,500 (about $15) a month.
Banda added that the announcements were also done to highlight the reaction of the President “who is the minister of the civil service.”
The CSTU leader said he was surprised by Jumbe’s stand “when it was the President who directed that the adjustments be done in phases - one immediately and another in July.”
“Two years ago we had a hunger problem and the subsequent year we had problems with donors. We did not want to push for the adjustments at the time because we were sympathetic. Now that the situation has normalised, I think it is only fair that we should be considered,” he said.
“Some issues are immediate, some are long term. Surely you cannot leave someone to get K1,500 per month as a minimum wage, and the same amount as a house allowance. It is nothing,” argued Banda.
“The minimum monthly cost stands at K13,000 and the minimum monthly house allowance must be at K3,000.”
Banda said Jumbe should have “ said what he is saying now during the meeting in the presence of the President.”
“Our understanding is that no lesser person than the President made the directive, and we are waiting for implementation,” he said.
One of the conditions the International Monetary Fund and World Bank gave Malawi for resumption of donor aid was that government spending should not go beyond what was budgeted for.
,Finance Minister Friday Jumbe has said an instant revision of civil servants’ salaries and conditions of service as announced recently will not be possible because “I do not have any meat in my budget.”
Jumbe was reacting to a recent announcement by the Civil Servants Trade Union (CSTU) that President Bakili Muluzi directed during a meeting with the union that civil servants’ salaries be increased and conditions of service for the public workers be improved immediately.
The Finance Minister said although government recognises the need to have the wage policy of the civil servants revised, the announcement by the CSTU was premature.
“Government recognises the importance of revising the wage policy very much, and we will be implementing that policy as soon as it is possible to do so,” said Jumbe.
He did not indicate how soon that will be, but said currently it is not practicable.
“The wage policy will be implemented, but at the moment my budget does not have any meat. I do not see how at the moment I can factor the adjustments in my budget,” he said. “That is the stage at which we are.”
He said when it becomes possible to implement the policy “I will come up with supplementary numbers and will seek the approval of the House.”
CSTU president Thomas Banda confirmed on Thursday it was his body that made the announcement on the radio and on television, saying “although the technicalities were yet to be worked out, it was imperative to inform our constituents about the outcome of our meeting with the President.”
“Our constituents have been waiting long enough. Our negotiations with the President were the last resort. It was, therefore, wise and proper that our constituents know what had come out of those negotiations,” said Banda. “We wanted to lessen tension.”
The civil service has a workforce of about 120,000 and the current minimum wage stands at K1,500 (about $15) a month.
Banda added that the announcements were also done to highlight the reaction of the President “who is the minister of the civil service.”
The CSTU leader said he was surprised by Jumbe’s stand “when it was the President who directed that the adjustments be done in phases - one immediately and another in July.”
“Two years ago we had a hunger problem and the subsequent year we had problems with donors. We did not want to push for the adjustments at the time because we were sympathetic. Now that the situation has normalised, I think it is only fair that we should be considered,” he said.
“Some issues are immediate, some are long term. Surely you cannot leave someone to get K1,500 per month as a minimum wage, and the same amount as a house allowance. It is nothing,” argued Banda.
“The minimum monthly cost stands at K13,000 and the minimum monthly house allowance must be at K3,000.”
Banda said Jumbe should have “ said what he is saying now during the meeting in the presence of the President.”
“Our understanding is that no lesser person than the President made the directive, and we are waiting for implementation,” he said.
One of the conditions the International Monetary Fund and World Bank gave Malawi for resumption of donor aid was that government spending should not go beyond what was budgeted for.
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