Civil Servants union welcome salary hike for low-paid: Calls for inflation-busting pay for all

Civil Servants Trade Union (CSTU) has welcomed the decision by government to increase salaries for civil servants in junior grades (J to R) with increments ranging from five to 22 percent as per their request effective July 1 2015 but called for an inflation-busting pay across the board.

Civil servants at Capital Hill
Civil servants at Capital Hill

According to a circular by Secretary for Human Resource Management and Development, Blessings Chilabade addressed to all Principal Secretaries and Heads of Departments, salaries of civil servants in Grades A to I, which received an average 44 percent increment in the 2014/15 financial year and contributed to an increase in the wage bill from K163 billion ($362.2 million) to K198 billion ($440 million), will get nothing this time around.

“I am pleased to inform you that government has approved the revision of salaries for employees in the civil service in Grades J and below with effect from 1st July 2015. The salaries for Grades I and above have not changed,” reads the circular in part.

In the teaching service, Grade J—a senior supervisor position—the old annual salary of K1 301 244 ($2 891.65) has moved to K1 366 308 ($3 036.24), representing five percent while Grade R which is industrial class sees the highest increment from K493 296 ($1 096.21) to K600 000 ($1 333) annually, representing 22 percent.

Grades K and L which are supervisor and senior clerical positions will get 10 percent increment while Grade M, a clerical or tradesmen position, will get an increment of 15 percent.

This means that the salary for lowest paid civil servant, Grade R, will move from K41 000 ($91) to K50 000 ($111) after tax and other deductions.

CSTU general secretary Madalitso Njolomole said the salary increament is “ a welcome development.”

But Njolomole said all workers should   get inflation-busting pay rises considering the ever falling living standards.

“There is need to pay workers enough to survive,” he said.

According to a latest World Bank report, Malawi has the world’s lowest gross national income (GNI) per capita, at $250 (roughly K110 000)each while on the contrary, Monaco, an independent State on France’s Mediterranean coastline, has the highest at $100 000 (about K45 million).

This means Malawians today would share K110 000 while at the same time their counterparts in Monaco would share about K45 million each, assuming the total wealth (as measured by GNI) for the respective nations is equally shared among its citizens.

Meanwhile, Minister of Finance, Economic Planning and Development Goodall Gondwe has said the ratio of the wage bill will rise to 6.7 percent of the gross domestic product (GDP) and remains below 25 percent of the budget.

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Petros
Petros
8 years ago

Zauchitsilu

The Objective Person
8 years ago

Iam just very happy that this story was first seen on Z Allan Ntata but people insulted him left, right, forward, backward and centre. Then some of you said he is unfair to compare Malawi to Monaco which is a city in France. The facts now about Monaco is an Independent state. Please fellow Malawi lets learn to analyse the story before we start heaping all sorts of insults on someone.

Makhuwira
Makhuwira
8 years ago

You minimum wage for teacher in Zambia is around seven hundred United States dollar and minimum wage for unskilled labour is one hundred and fifty United States dollar and food is three times cheaper than Malawi .

Rodgers Banda
Rodgers Banda
8 years ago

Money from sales of MSB Compare and work out the ratio

Petros
Petros
8 years ago

Mmmm kaya

wakale
wakale
8 years ago

CSTU you have let us down. Zanu zayenda last year and now you have accepted this low increament. Even if you add the increaments for last year & this as per grade, the total percentage of increament does not reach to your percentage increament dyera pa malawi basi

Vyachalo
Vyachalo
8 years ago

why to start in december?

Malawi Kwacha
Malawi Kwacha
8 years ago

That’s better now, but the average is just minimal. But thanks for making senior grade silence.

davis kanjodo
davis kanjodo
8 years ago

Mavuto ku Malawi. Tili mmalawi moto mwadzina lake.

mapapaya
8 years ago

Its good. No body will be contented on monetary issues.We all know how govt generates money. Bravo govt

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