CIVIL SERVANTS DEMAND 9.15% PAY RISE

MANZINI – Just after receiving their bumper pay dubbed ‘dvuladvula’, civil servants have now tabled a cost of living adjustment of 9.15 per cent to government for the current financial year.

This comes after the much anticipated agenda of the Joint Negotiation Forum (JNF); the cost of living adjustment made its way to the round table where the civil servants made their demand.
The demand was presented by public sector associations’ (PSAs) leaders to the Government Negotiation Team (GNT), at the round table some few weeks ago and the latter asked to get a mandate before making an offer. 
The PSAs’ written demand of 9.15 per cent cost of living increment stated that it was made of  the 2016 inflation rate which was eight per cent, plus the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) which was 1.15 per cent.

They also want the money to be backdated to April 1, 2017.
A well-placed source within the PSA’s said after tabling their demand, the JNF met several times but the GNT allegedly failed to make an offer because it had not received the mandate from the relevant structures.
The PSAs are formed by the Swaziland National Association of Teachers (SNAT), National Public Service and Allied Workers Union (NAPSAWU), the Swaziland Democratic Nurses Union (SWADNU) and the Swaziland National Association of Government Accounting Personnel (SNAGAP).

It is worth noting that the issue of cost of living adjustment came to the table after the JNF failed to kick-start the issues of appeals of the salary review of 2016 among others, and it was agreed the table should continue with other issues on the agenda.
The source said in last week’s meeting, the GNT allegedly promised to come to the following gathering, which was on Wednesday, with a full mandate to make an offer.
“However, when it was time for the GNT to make a counter offer on Wednesday, they made an excuse that the mandate they had was incomplete and further asked to be given another week to finalise the matter,” the source said.
Furthermore, the source said another thing that did not go down well with the PSAs was that the GNT was responding verbally and as a result, during Wednesday’s meeting, they asked that it should present a written offer.
He said the PSAs’ argument was that since the meeting was official, everything should be documented so that it could be traceable.

Summersault

“In fact, they feared that the GNT could summersault one day and deny making the offer they were going to table by word of mouth.”
He said PSAs then asked government to go and prepare a documented offer, and the latter promised not to do a mistake on that when they meet next week Wednesday.
Meanwhile, the Principal Secretary (PS) in the Ministry of Public Service, Evart Madlopha confirmed the meeting between the GNT and PSAs on Wednesday. He said after the PSAs tabled their demand, it was agreed that the GNT should make its counter offer in the next meeting.

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