Gov't plans to slash scarce skill allowance

Government is hatching a plan to review scarce skill allowance for chartered accountants, architects and other scarce cadres without engaging trade unions. 

Medical doctors, engineers, dentists, architects and other professionals are awarded between 15 percent and 40 percent as a percentage of basic salary as part of a retention policy in order to address the needs associated with scarce skills and the need to attract and retain suitable staff in the public service. A savingram circulated this week proposes to revise some of the allowances with chartered accountants, occupational therapists and architectural engineers facing a possible abolition of their scarce skill allowance.

Chartered accountants currently receive at least 40 percent of their basic salary as scarce skill allowance. Permanent secretary in the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture, Peter Mongwaketse said there is no need to press panic buttons as senior officials in government are yet to make a determination. “People should not be sacred that the government is going to abolish it because when it was introduced some few years ago we said that we are going to review it and this is what is happening,” Mongwaketsi commented. He said they expected the exercise to be completed by the  end of March.

“I believe all different stakeholders have been involved in this process because we will be waiting for a report from DPSM once the process is done. At the moment I cannot say whether we are going to cut or increase the allowance because the process is still ongoing,” he said. For his part, Permanent Secretary to the Office of President, Cater Morupisi said the idea is to give different departments a chance to make a recommendation on the scarce skill allowance. “It was not working the way government wanted so we are trying to find ways on how we can improve it because it was giving us problems,” he said.

He could not clarify the problems government faced as a result of the allowance. Morupisi further said they have not engaged any unions about the process. “I do not think there is a need to engage them because we are improving something that the government has implemented.” He could not be drawn into the amount scarce skill allowance contributed to the wage bill. Government's wage bill currently stands at around P13 billion a year. Efforts to contact Director at DPSM, Ruth Maphorisa were futile as her mobile phone was not available. The Secretary General at Botswana Federation of Public Sector Unions (BOFEPUSU), Tobokani Rari expressed disappointment over the government's proposal.

“At the moment we are not aware of the developments but it will be disappointing if the government is trying to do that. They knew very well the issue has to be discussed at management level instead of writing proposals to employees and bringing them to the Bargaining Council for discussion,” he said.