Maravi

Levy prevails over civil servants' salary increment

Levy prevails over civil servants' salary increment
By Speedwell Mupuchi and Chibaula Silwamba
Tuesday April 03, 2007 [04:00]

THE 16 per cent salary increment awarded to civil servants was arrived at after President Levy Mwanawasa's intervention. Zambia National Union of Teachers (ZNUT) president Sylvester Tembo yesterday confirmed that the unions had to seek President Mwanawasa's intervention to move from eight per cent the government proposed to award them.

"Yes, the government team ended somewhere and we had to seek President Mwanawasa's intervention and we appealed to him that the budget allocated was not enough," Tembo said. "Thanks, President Mwanawasa listened and there was an extension in the budget." Tembo said the government negotiating team ended at eight per cent and could not go beyond that based on what was budgeted for. He said it was a big fight to move government to the agreed percentage.

Tembo said government was this time more transparent in negotiations than it had been in the past. "It was not easy because they were supposed to work within the budget. We also thank our members for remaining patient and allowing us to do a thorough job," said Tembo.

Government and three public service workers' unions on Sunday signed a 16 per cent salary increment for their members effective April 1, 2007 to December 31, 2007. The three unions that signed a salary increment agreement are the Civil Servants and Allied Workers' Union of Zambia (CSAWZ), Zambia National Union of Teachers (ZNUT) and the National Union of Public Service Workers.

A source in the civil service disclosed that workers were to be awarded 12 per cent if the increment was backdated to January 2007. The increment means that the lowest paid employee (registry clerk) getting K395,000 per month will now go home with K458,200 while the highest employee, that is, for teachers getting K1,200,000 would now get K1,392,000 per month.

The increment would also see salaries for directors and permanent secretaries adjusted upwards. For housing allowances, the source said a technical team comprising government and union representatives would have to clean the payroll before negotiations would commence.

Labels: ZNUT

posted by MrK @ 4:50 AM