Salary rise can't wait

Sun, 25 Dec 2016 10:31:36 +0000

Public pay hike by Gvt will be  an irresponsible act…

By AARON CHIYANZO

IT will be irresponsible for the government to increase salaries for the current bloated civil service which consumes almost 60 per cent of national budget at the expense of a productive private sector.

People’s Alliance for Change (PAC) Andyford Banda says increasing salaries for civil servants in 2017 would not be justifiable because there is no provision in next year’s budget.

Mr Banda added that apart from that, there has been a controversial conditionality by lending institutions such as the IMF and World Bank to only support productive sectors as opposed to consumption areas including the civil service or the nation to secure loans.

Mr Banda called on the civil servants to continue discharging their duties diligently and to understand that Government was in a tight corner financially.

He pointed out in an interview with Daily Nation that Government could not promise the civil servants increments from resources it did not have.

Mr Banda said that Government had been honest enough that it did not have money in its coffers and that all stakeholders should understand that fact.

“At the moment it is justified that Government will not increase salaries for civil servants because there is no money. They definitely can’t promise what they do not have. Let’s give them chance to raise money so that when they promise to increase, it comes to pass” he said. Mr Banda said that Government should step up its efforts of recovering the economy because that was the only way that civil servants would expect salary increments.

He advised Government to continue with the austerity measures it was taking and fiscal discipline to ensure that the economy stabilised as quickly as possible.

And Mr Banda also said that it was important for Government  when it was in a position to speed up its efforts of ensuring that civil servants’ salaries were increased in good time.

He explained that motivated civil servants were important for any country to see meaningful development. Mr Banda said that well-paid civil servants executed their duties diligently compared to those  who  were under paid and disgruntled.