No pay cut for civil servants

There is some good news for civil servants as their pay will not be reduced in the 2021/2022 financial year however, when they do review this budget in six months, civil service salaries will be carefully reviewed in the event the borders do not reopen and our economy has not shown measured signs of revival.

While delivering the National Budget, Minister for Economy, Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum says they continued paying civil service salaries with no reduction for civil servants below the level of Permanent Secretaries.

He says they have continued to pay teachers, even though they haven’t conducted classes since the start of this outbreak adding that even teachers on acting allowance have been paid during this period.

Sayed-Khaiyum further says they have done this because they want to keep their teachers and make sure they are ready to go the extra mile when schools reopen to help their students catch up on missed curriculum.

He adds some civil servants who work from home on reduced hours or others who cannot attend work due to lockdown measures or home isolation protocols have also been paid in full.

The Minister says by supporting civil servants they are doing more than looking out for their employees, they are supporting the families that rely on civil servants to provide for them, they are supporting the businesses they shop at, and they are supporting the economy as a whole.

Sayed-Khaiyum also says a good number of civil servants are working harder than ever to maintain the Government’s services, especially through this latest outbreak, and they should not and they will not see their salaries reduced further.

He adds to save costs, they have frozen hiring for new positions in the civil service except for the Ministries of Health, Communications, Local Government as well as the Police.

Sayed-Khaiyum says they have gone more than a year without making serious cuts to salaries.

However, he says that commitment does hinge on government revenue being restored within six months, and that depends on more of us being vaccinated.