By ZARA KANU
WORKERS of the National Capital District Commission (NCDC) will receive a pay raise ranging from 7% to 9% retro-active from Jan 1 this year.
The agreement which fixed the salary for three years will be good until Jan 1, 2009.
This was the meat of a deal signed yesterday between the NCDC Workers Union and the Department of Personnel Management.
The documents effecting the pay rise were signed by city manager Leslie Alu, union president Konk Kiap and acting DPM secretary Robert Yas.
The signing was witnessed by management level staff of the NCDC.
The pay rise was approved by the DPM last May.
The City Hall had done away with the consumer price index (CPI) and had based the fixing of the salary for three years on the performance level of the organisation as a whole.
Likewise, the city government was seriously looking at downsizing the workforce to pave way for more development to take place.
Mr Kiap said: “The union and the management have an understanding that the workforce had to be downsized and more qualified people need to be employed.
“Considering all factors of the pay increase, the NCDC aimed to equate itself with that of a regulated body,” he said.
Another milestone for NCDC is that members of the home ownership scheme automatically get an increase in their housing allowances to allow for fast-tracking of payments.
Mr Yas said: “It is timely that this be introduced to the staff and should be a real boost to improving their performances.
“This agreement showed a healthy sign of a good working relationship and we need to improve our services to city residents which we are part and parcel of,” he said.
The final structure of this agreement was now ready to go before the board.