2016 salary review appeal talks today

MANZINI – Today, public sector unions and government will deliberate on the 2016 salary review appeals in the joint negotiation forum (JNF).

The JNF is where civil servants are represented by the Public Sector Unions (PSUs) of Swaziland on their conditions of service, while the employer is represented by the Government Negotiation Team (GNT).

The PSUs are the National Public Service and Allied Workers Union (NAPSAWU), Swaziland Democratic Nurses Union (SWADNU), Swaziland National Association of Teachers (SNAT) and Swaziland National Association of Government Accounting Personnel (SNAGAP).

The PSUs represent a fraction of civil servants, who are about 42 686, according to the Establishment Register for the financial year 2022/23 and are said to cost the taxpayer around E7.3 billion as per projections of the wage bill at the end of the past financial year (March 31, 2022).

Meanwhile, the anticipated sitting today, which was confirmed by the JNF Chairperson, who is also the Principal Secretary in the Ministry of Public Service, Sipho Tsabedze, will be the first joint negotiation following that the PSUs have been engaging the employer in bilateral meetings.

Tsabedze confirmed that they had concluded the individual consultation with the unions and the subsequent step would be to sit jointly and engage on the appeals. On the other hand, the secretariat of the PSUs said they were anticipating an invitation from the employer on the sitting as they had concluded their consultations.

Secretary General of SWADNU Mayibongwe Masangane said they were still uncertain on the manner in which the employer would implement the appeals, as a report on what the various unions submitted was still anticipated from the employer.

Masangane said they were waiting for communication of a JNF sitting where, he supposed, the report would be delivered. When asked if civil servants should anticipate being paid the differences which they had not been getting since 2016, he said: “We are not certain.”

He could not commit on whether the backpay for the appealed salaries would be backdated to 2016. This was the same stance by the SNAT SG, Lot Vilakati. He said they were not certain and noted that the total amount that had to be paid to 2016 could be steep. However, he said they would know the fate of their members upon discussion of the report.

Also, President of NAPSAWU Oscar Nkambule said they were having many questions around the report and would be in a better position to publicly comment on it once the consultations were completed.

A fortnight ago, this publication reported that some principal human resource officers believed the 2016 salary review appeals report was flawed, as it would adjust their salaries by merely E469.77. The report on the 2016 salary review appeals report was leaked in various social media platforms, while it is still a subject of consultations between PSUs and the employer.

FORMER GRADE

Subsequent to its circulation, some civil servants flooded this publication with queries on their supposed appeals from 2016. Among the civil servants who raised concerns were the principal human resource officers, who expressed their displeasure with the said re-grading.

They said their re-graded post was of less benefit to them given that it would only afford them a difference of E469.77. This, they said, was because most of them were on Notch 5 of Grade D4, while the re-graded post is D5. They claimed that when assuming this post, they would still not benefit as the difference between pay and Notch 1 of Grade D5 was the aforementioned amount.

Graded

On the other hand, some officers, who were graded B5, which has an annual salary of E112 340.04 or a monthly remuneration of E9 631.67, were re-graded to C3. This new grade has a monthly salary of E10 212.96, which equals E122 555.58 per annum.

This tallies an review of about E581.30 per month on what they are currently earning. This calculation is based on an employee who currently earns under Notch 1.

Officers who are in these grades and their positions were re-graded include cooperative officers and cooperative auditors under the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Trade. Their positions were said to have been reviewed due to the

FINAL GRADE

FORMER SALARY

PAY HIKE

NEW SALARY scope of work and nature of their jobs. Also in this grade are labour inspectors, assistant human resources officers and estate accounts examiner, clerk of court /interpreter and estate officer.

Meanwhile, the civil servants have made their feelings in various platforms with some contacting this publication to express their displeasure in the re-graded posts. Their reaction was subsequent to the publication of some of the grades, which have been reviewed upwards following about 145 appeals which were submitted by the PSUs on behalf of their members.

The report, which came almost seven years after the salary review was effected, was presented to the four PSUs last month. In 2016, when the salary review report was effected, there were eight grades which SNAT appealed against. The teachers union bemoaned that their members in these grades were made worse-off.

These grades are: B2 Notch 1, which is that of Primary Teachers’ Diploma (PTD) holders. There was also n appeal against grade C2 Notch 5, which is held by holders of Primary Teachers’ Certificates. Another grade is C3 Notch 1, which is held by teachers who have Secondary Teachers’ Diplomas (STDs), PTDs and BA in Humanities.

Another grade that was appealed against was C4 Notch 1and also C5 Notch 1. Despite this, these grades did not form part of the report as they were not listed in the report.