Least-paid govt worker to get $500

The least-paid civil servant will this month get at least $500 as their salary increment is being backdated to January 1, 2014.

The news is even better for teachers, nurses, some soldiers and police officers, who will be paid at least $660, inclusive of back pay and allowances. However, from next month the least-paid employee will receive $375, while teachers and nurses will get around $500.

Government has committed to improve salaries despite missing revenue collection targets for the first quarter of the year.

Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare Minister Nicholas Goche told The Herald yesterday that, "The Minister of Finance (Patrick Chinamasa) has mobilised the resources. He has assured the President that these salaries will be paid at the end of April backdated to January 1."

Secretary for Finance Mr Willard Manungo told the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Budget, Finance and Investment Promotion on Monday that Treasury was working flat-out to fulfil its promise.

"As Government, a commitment was made and negotiations were held early this year with regards to the review, through the negotiating forum in terms of the Apex council and ourselves as Government," said Mr Manungo.

"We signed up numbers and I think the indications by the Honourable Minister (Chinamasa) that was given was that it would give effect in April and I would want to say to honourable members, us as Treasury, we are mobilising the requisite resources to ensure that April we deal with this obligation that we have already signed  up to."

He said revenue collections had been below targets by around six percent since the beginning of the year, though he did not give specific figures.

"But you also need to take into account that traditionally when we start the year, the revenues during the first half of the year, they tend to be lower and they then tend to pick up during the latter half of the year.

In his $4,1 billion 2014 National Budget proposals, Minister Chinamasa said $3,824 billion would come from tax revenues.

Mr Manungo said the modest increment agreed in January came after an appreciation by workers' representative of the challenges the fiscus was facing.

"So in terms of expectation, I think through the Joint Negotiating Council that's one of the issues that we put on the table as a way of managing the expectations, trying to persuade the other colleagues in terms of the representatives of work associations, to get them to appreciate the challenges the fiscus is having; especially when you try to relate it to that there is service delivery in health, there is service delivery in education, we meet our obligations with regards to some of the capital projects we have on the budget.

"So the outcome of that was also reflective of that understanding and I think, broadly in terms of the Joint Negotiating Council there is that appreciation that there are challenges and hence those modest expectations that we signed earlier on this year," he said.

Government and civil servants unions agreed on a salary increment that would see the least paid worker earning $375 inclusive of $91 and $66 housing and transport allowances, respectively.

The lowest paid teacher or nurse will get a basic salary of $284 in addition to $116 and $100 in transport and housing allowances.

With the new salary schedule, Government will fork out $155 million to pay its 230 000 workers monthly.