Coordinating Assembly for Non-Governmental Organisations (CANGO) Executive Director Thembinkhosi Dlamini says the bone of contention among civil servants is not that some earn more than others, but that certain categories were treated unfairly during the implementation of the salary review.
Dlamini’s comments follow statements by both Members of Parliament (MPs) and public sector unions (PSUs) on the implementation of the salary review.
| Eswatini Observer WhatsApp Channel
PSUs also raised grievances after the security services received their salary review, maintaining their respective notches, while all other civil servants were placed under notch one.
The director said with any salary review, some people would be negatively affected, while others benefit.
He said certain categories were treated unfairly and that the rule was that employees in the same category should be treated similarly.
Dlamini said since all these employees fell under government, the principle should have been uniform.
“If after the review some were placed under notch one, then every other civil servant should have been placed under notch one. If the rule was adopted, it should have applied to everyone. If it applies to some and not to others, the bone of contention is inevitable,” he said.
He added that the issue was not that some civil servants received more money. In a salary review, there may be structural changes in the economy that influence adjustments in certain skill categories.
He said some skills needed to be retained with specific salary levels, but problems arose when political decisions were taken after negotiations to place some workers under notch one while others retained their previous notches.
“The grievances are genuine to the extent that the same category of workers has been treated differently. They have not been treated equally and now they feel there are some who are being favoured while others are being punished, even after the review was completed,” he said.
Dlamini added that this was the same principle applied in the private sector and civil society. He said after a salary review in civil society organisations, where the system was complex, they ensured that junior and senior employees were treated consistently.
“They should either have allowed everyone to maintain their notch or placed everyone under notch one. This is a general rule because you cannot downgrade a better-paid public servant and make them worse off. There should also have been solutions for those negatively affected by the review,” he said.
Eswatini Observer Press Reader | View Here
