Seven excluded from 7.5% pay rise

Source: 

The National, Friday, April 29, 2011

By JEFFREY ELAPA
NOT all public servants will benefit from the 7.5% pay increase signed between the Public Employees Association and Department of Personnel Management yesterday.
Under the new memorandum of agreement, seven government organisations involved in service to the people are excluded in the payout expected on May 18, the 10th pay day of the government payroll system.
More than 35,000 public servants will be entitled to the salary increase.
Department not included in the award are police, Correction Services, Teaching Service Commission, Defence, Ministerial Services, National Forest Authority and the National Judiciary Services and Magisterial Services.
Public servants in other departments and government organisations will benefit from salary increases for the next three years.
Public Employees Association president Michael Malabag said a 6% salary increase plus a 1.5% increment based on productivity had been agreed too.
He said the package included a consumer price index threshold given by the government to cushion any fluctuations of CPI.
He said this would be determined “from time to time”.
He said recreational leave fares to employees would be made available after every two years for a public servant and his family.
Malabag said the association had rejected the government’s buy-out offer of K500 per annum for the K20 fortnight housing subsidy.
He said the association was negotiating for a K250 fortnightly accommodation allowance and would pursue the matter before the public service conciliation and arbitration tribunal.
He said the government’s home ownership scheme was vague and a long-term plan that would benefit and solve the housing problems of public servants.
But, Malabag said other matters such as retrenchment/ retirement agreement, reduction of 35% tax on terminal benefits, compulsory life and health insurance cover, risk allowance and review of outdated allowance rate provided in the general orders would be negotiated at a later date.
DPM secretary John Kali urged all public servants to perform their duties diligently.
He said the people really needed their service and with the increase in salary, they should perform better.
The new agreement covers a three-year period of annual increases.