All civil servants get paid . . . Still want to know bonus pay dates

Pamela Shumba Senior Reporter
THE government yesterday paid all the remaining civil servants their December salaries and the Apex Council says it would demand actual dates for payment of bonuses and the 2016 salaries at a meeting today.

Some members of the uniformed forces got their salaries before Christmas while teachers were paid on December 29.

Apex Council President Richard Gundane confirmed that all civil servants were paid yesterday but said they now wanted dates for payment of bonuses and 2016 salaries.

He said today’s National Joint Negotiating Council (NJNC) meeting must address this and other issues affecting the civil servants.

“The NJNC meeting is critical because it has to address issues that are affecting civil servants. These include delays in paying salaries and pension deductions. We acknowledge government’s efforts to pay its workers but we’re worried about the delays.

“We’re therefore going to demand pay dates because the delays are adversely affecting civil servants who have financial obligations such as paying rents, bills and other such commitments every month,” he said.

Gundane said they will also demand bonus pay dates.

“The 7,5 percent deductions were imposed on us yet it was agreed that the government workers’ salaries are too little. We all know that there’s no take home to talk about. The existing deductions are already eroding the paltry salaries and it’s unfair for the government to deduct more money,” said Gundane.

The civil servants had between $35 and $40 deducted from their salaries as pension contribution.

As part of a raft measures being introduced to rationalise the civil service, the government recently announced that effective December 1, pension contributions would be resuscitated with each civil servant contributing 7,5 percent every month.

Civil servants have not been paying pension since 2009 because when the multi-currency was introduced every civil servant was getting a flat $100 allowance a month. The government paid salaries later but was not deducting pension contributions.

However, despite the non-contribution by members, the government continued to pay out full pension benefits to members after termination of employment.

The move eventually became unsustainable.