Africa-Press – Eswatini. With public sector associations already aiming for protest action to demand a salary review, Members of Parliament have requested the ministry of public service to grant civil servants the cost of living adjustment (CoLA).
MPs yesterday further directed the ministry to review civil servants’ salaries considering that they have not done so for some time.
This comes in the wake of the outcome of the meeting of the four unions under the PSAs, which resolved to force government to adhere to their demand for a salary review, or face the consequence of a rollout of mass protests from next month.
Legislators seemed to be alive to this when they deliberated on the budget of the ministry of public service, calling for the ministry to request more funds from the ministry of finance to increase the percentage of the CoLA as they felt the budgeted funds were inadequate.
Nhlambeni MP Manzi Zwane said there has been no increment in the pay of civil servants against the growing inflation and utilities prices at times by double digits. delay “Government has an obligation to review the salaries every four years.
Is this not violation of the court order,” the MP said, referring to a ruling directing government to review salaries.
He added that this delay by two more years was unacceptable. “In the past five years there has been no reasonable CoLA for civil servants, if my memory serves me well they only got once-off three per cent in one year. “The savings on hiring freeze is said to have saved government E1 billion, let it cushion the civil servants.
“The budget for CoLA is not enough, and this will cause conflicts. We are now in the fourth year and the salaries are due for review,” he added.
Gilgal MP Kenneth Sandla Fakudze said the ministry must consider giving civil servants cost of living adjustment above the inflation rate considering that they have not been given such in a long time. “Give civil servants reasonable CoLA as inflation has grown so let the CoLA be above the inflation,” he said.
In response, the Minister of Public Service Mabulala Maseko said it was his ministry’s wish that civil servants get their CoLA as early as April, however, this was subject to the negotiations with the public sector associations. The minister further stated that the percentage would be dependent on the agreement reached on the table.
“The ministry is committed to conducting the salary review and have a budget for it. We want to be cautious this time and find a consultant that will minimise appeals, unlike in the past where irregularities were spotted and several positions appealed as some senior officers got paid less than their juniors,” he said.
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