Call for urgent NA sitting

THE DTA of Namibia has called for an early resumption of the National Assembly to discuss possible salary increases for civil servants.

DTA Secretary General McHenry Venaani told a media briefing in Windhoek yesterday that he will lobby the Speaker and the Prime Minister to call back Parliamentarians from their holiday to address the plight of the civil servants.
‘Our party has been on record for many years that the current payment and salary structure of non-management cadres in the civil service is in an appalling state and urgent reform is needed to address the plight of the civil servants,’ Venaani said.
He said there was a need to reform the bloated civil service and to create exit avenues for unneeded staff through black economic empowerment schemes.
In December President Hifikepunye Pohamba approved a 24 per cent salary increase for political office bearers but there was no word on what the future holds for ordinary civil servants.
General Secretary of the Namibia Public Workers’ Union Peter Nevonga was non-committal about when the negotiations for civil servants’ salaries will be concluded.
He also declined to comment on the salary increases for politicians.
In April last year, during debate on the National Budget, Deputy Prime Minister Libertina Amathila told Parliament that the country’s 84 000 public servants would get salary increases from April 1 next year.
Sources said increases for the civil servants would be spread over a three-year period.
The increases for political office bearers will be for the Prime Minister, Deputy Prime Minister, Ministers, Deputy Ministers, Speaker of the National Assembly, Chairperson of the National Council and all members of the National Assembly and National Council.
Venaani said the veil of secrecy surrounding the negotiations about the salary increases for civil servants needs to be lifted and Parliament informed about the bottlenecks causing the stalemate.
He said salary increases were not the main solution though, as Government needs to see how it can make the public service more efficient while keeping the size at acceptable levels to prevent budgetary constraints.
Pohamba announced that political officer bearers will get a 12 per cent increase as soon as the decision has been gazetted and another 12 per cent when the National Budget is approved for the next financial year.
The President’s decision to increase the salaries by 24 per cent was taken after a report presented by the Public Office-Bearers (Remuneration and Benefits) Commission.
In February, the Commission informed Pohamba that politicians’ salaries lagged behind by 86 per cent in terms of the consumer price index. They proposed a 29 per cent for this financial year.
However, Pohamba delayed acting on the report.
Minister of Presidential Affairs Dr Albert Kawana said the President considered prevailing economic conditions caused by drought, the country’s expected economic performance, the financial means of the State, inflation and the principle that public office bearers are there to serve the people, before he decided on the 24 per cent increase.