Happy civil service means healthy economy

The meeting was not just meant for salaries of civil servants, but also to look at their general conditions of service.  This is a welcome move, taking into consideration that currently, the Public Service Bargaining Council has been paralysed. The conditions of service of public servants have for a very long time been neglected and salary increases have negligible.

However, due to the fact that such increases hardly meet the needs of the beneficiaries, there have always been agitations for more increases to reflect the economic realities of the time. Workers, through their labour representatives have always clamoured for improved conditions of service and can go to any length to buttress their demands.  Recent study have indicated that in Botswana, public servants are paid on average 40% lower than those in the private sector. This has created a serious imbalance and need for salary reviews by a bigger margin for public servants remunerations.