PS pay review to be assigned
The Public Service Commission (PSC) chairman Luke Rokovada says the review of permanent secretary salaries will be assigned to the higher salaries commission should it be re-established by the end of the year.
“Permanent secretary salaries are budgeted under the PSC annually,” Mr Rokovada said.
Based on the Ministry of Civil Service annual report 2018 to 2019, the PSC is allocated a budget of $7.2million for the financial year 2018-2019 to cater for the salaries, allowances and other expenses for contracted permanent
secretaries.
Personal emoluments alone for permanent secretaries totaled up to $3.8million in 2019 compared to $4million in 2018.
Mr Rokovada said it has been a long time since the last PS salary review was done in 2013.
“The Higher Salaries Commission will be responsible for carrying out a salary review for permanent secretaries and CEOs for statutory bodies,” he said.
“That process will probably take place by the end of the year. “Right now we are working on legislation to support the establishment of the Higher Salaries Commission. That will have to go through Cabinet then parliament.”
He added that the commission would provide the setup of the system of determining salaries. “So year by the end of the year we hope this will be setup,” he said.
The Higher Salaries Commission was established in 1983.
Its core function was to coordinate and harmonise salary range for top level jobs in government statutory bodies, and the civil service by us¬ing the private sector as the com¬parator.
It was abolished by the FijiFirst administration in 2011.