Pay increase for civil servants

Unions were shocked to the core this week to learn that President Ian Khama promised non-unionised members a 4 percent salary hike effective April 1, inspite of the ongoing salary talks at the bargaining council.

Khama remarked this at a kgotla meeting in Chobe District recently. He promised that civil servants not registered as union members would be given 4 percent increment as promised by government. Head of the directorate of public service management (DPSM) Carter Morupisi however would not discuss the issue. “I am not the president’s spokesperson and I cannot talk about that issue,” he said. BOFEPUSU secretary general Tobokani Rari however said they are for a written form to understand what the president intends to do.

He said there is a possibility that Khama would issue a directive to have salaries increased across board or target only the non-unionised members. But he said it would be surprising that Khama,  a president of a law abiding nation, would choose to disregard a lawful process of salary increase deliberately. Rari said the unions are also waiting to see wether the directive would come from the office of the president (OP) or from the DPSM director. Should it come as a directive from the OP, Rari said that they have an option of allowing the increase to be effected and treat it as a bonus from the OP, while the bargaining council would continue negotiations that would see another salary increase being effected through the lawful route.

But should the salary hike directive be routed through Morupisi’s office, Rari said they’d seek an urgent interdidct to stop the unlawful increase meant to sabotage the bargaining council and discredit unions in the eyes of their members.