By ISAAC NICHOLAS
Public servants will be able to celebrate the festive season with significant salary increases, paid leave during Christmas-New Year and better terms and conditions after the signing of a memorandum of agreement (MoA) between the Government and the Public Employees Association yesterday.
Public Service Minister Peter O’Neill, Department of Personnel Management (DPM) Secretary Margaret Elias and Public Employees Association (PEA) president Michael Malabag signed the historic agreement which will cost the Government K171 million over the next three years.
The two MoAs signed were the Public Service MoA on wages, terms and conditions of employment for public servants and MoA on conduct of industrial relations in the public service.
Some of the key features of the Public Service MoA on wages and terms of conditions included:
l Public servants will receive 3% wage increase payable from the date the new MoA is registered by the industrial registrar; and
l A lump sum payment equivalent to a 3% increase for this year.
Other key features covered in the new MoA included:
l Christmas shut-down where public servants would be granted an additional five days paid leave so they can spend time with their families;
l An increase in the paid maternity leave from current six weeks to 12 weeks paid leave;
l Enable employees who have a critical medical condition to cash out up to 50% of their sick leave entitlement for the purpose of paying for associate medical expenses;
l Establishment of more flexible working hours including make-up time and flextime credits;
l A 1.5% increase to the top pay point of each salary grade within the performance based salary structure; and
l A reduction in the number of pay points for each salary grade from the current seven pay points thereby delivering higher wage adjustments each year to those who were performing satisfactorily.
“This is a momentous occasion when considering the fact that the Government has only presented the 2008 Budget which in my opinion was people and worker friendly especially on appropriation that will go a long in easing the pay packets of workers,” Mr Malabag said during the signing of the MoA at the State Function room at Parliament House.
Mr O’Neill said the new MoA improved public servants terms and conditions of employment but more importantly it did so in a manner that supported the Government’s pay policy of linking salary increases to improvement in performance and productivity.