FORGET ABOUT DOUBLE DIGIT INCREMENT - GOVT

MANZINI – Civil servants must forget about receiving a double digit cost of living adjustment during the 2014/15 financial year.

The Minister of Finance, Martin Dlamini, said awarding civil servants a double digit cost of living adjustment would cause a deficit.
“A large portion of the national budget is allocated to salaries, hence the need for them (salaries) to be controlled.
“This effectively means expenditure would increase (if civil servants get a double digit figure) and the country would have a large deficit,” said Dlamini.

Deficit

The minister explained that a deficit caused by recurrent expenditure was entirely not good for the country’s economy.
He said only a deficit caused by investments would have a positive impact on the economy because it would create more job opportunities.
“All I am saying is that whatever rate will be settled for, it should be low.

“Even though I may not be in a position to give any precise figure but it should definitely not be the 15 per cent (cost of living adjustment) wanted by civil servants,” Dlamini disclosed.
When further pressed to state what percentage he thought could be awarded to civil servants, Dlamini said: “Anything that is double digit is unacceptable.”

The government has tabled an offer of three per cent cost of living adjustment for adjustment on the salaries of civil servants for the 2014/15 financial year.
To the contrary, public sector unions tabled a double-digit demand of 15.8 per cent as cost of living adjustment.
During the year 2013/14, government awarded the workers a 4.5 per cent cost of living adjustment.
Notably, the Government Negotiations Team (GNT) is currently engaged in salary negotiations with the public sector unions.

Unions

The public sector unions comprises the Swaziland National Association of Teachers (SNAT), National Public Servants and Allied Workers Union (NAPSAWU), Swaziland Nurses Association (SNA) and Swaziland National Association of Government Accounting Personnel (SNAGAP).
In an interview with our sister newspaper, the Times of Swaziland, President of the National Public Servants and Allied Workers Unions (NAPSAWU) Quinton Dlamini, said it was high time for government to effect a significant hike on the salaries for civil servants in the current year.

The unions said they believed government had turned the corner in as far as the economy was concerned compared to past fiscal years.

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