4% increment elicits mixed responses
Sharon Mathala | Monday February 17, 2014 08:06
Edward Baikepi feels the proposed percentage is an insult to public servants. Though employed in the private sector, Baikepi said the government should have taken into consideration that public sector workers have been long without a salary increment.
“Personally, I feel the proposed increment is a total insult to the workers and a disregard to the standard of living that keeps getting higher,” said Baikepi.
He observed that it is not going to make any difference to low earners, while the high earner will reap big. Baikepi’s fear is that the proposed increment will make corporations such as Botswana Housing Corporation (BHC) increase rental, burdening Batswana further.
“The fuel and food prices have sky rocketed in the past years but the government doesn’t seem to realise that and they keep offering peanuts to their employees, which to me I feel salaries in this country should be at par with the inflation,” stressed Baikepi.
Baikepi, however, feels the government is pulling stunts to appease public servants as the elections loom.
Dikatso Boteng also dismisses the proposed 4 percent increase as an insult.
“We have been sidelined for the past five years and to now come up with such little increment is degrading,” he said.
Boteng said the salary adjustment should match the inflation rate. “The period of recession is long over, it should not be an excuse anymore that the country went through a recession because that time we understood but now is the time to get what is due to us. I should believe we have recovered from the recession as much as other countries who also suffered recession but now they are giving their civil workers what was denied to them during recession. It is only fair that our country do the same.”
Boteng said the government should have considered putting a reasonable offer on the table so that when civil servants negotiate they know where to start rather than the proposed percent, which he stressed, it is too little to even negotiate on.
However, for 26 year-old Dimpho Mariri he acknowledges that at least it is still a proposed increment and it is not yet time for civil servants to jump the gun as yet.
“Let’s wait to hear what the bargaining council will come up with their negotiations as we can only wait and hope for something better,” said Mariri
He further said that he believes the government only put the 4 percent increment on the table in order to open dialogue for negotiations.
Mariri was adamant that he still has faith that the proposed percentage would not be effected in the sense that the issue is still at the negotiating table.
“We still have a chance to negotiate for a better increase as long as we remain calm until the negotiations are over.” he insisted.
For Kebetlile Batlhalefi, she finds nothing enticing about the 4 percent increment, as it is not meant for them.
She explained that the majority of civil workers, saying especially those in lower scale there was nothing to benefit as the increase would be too little to even notice.
“I mean even you, you are asking all these questions because you know there is nothing there otherwise you won’t be here asking me that,” stressed Batlhalefi.
She said the salary increment would only benefit those that have been earning high emphasizing that a typical example would be someone who earns P1,500 a month and his/her increase being P60 compared to someone who earns a P30,000 and his/her increment being P1,200.
“So you see what I am trying to say, we are just a scapegoat in a bigger picture of what the government wants for its high ranking members, us we are nothing,” lamented Batlhalefi.