SWAZI UNION LEADER: NO TO PAY CUTS

Times of Swaziland

20 May 2011

SOURCE

IMF reforms targeting us, says NAPSAWU

MBABANE – The National Association of Public Servants and Allied Workers Union feels that its members are being targeted by the IMF reforms because they are seen as soft targets.

The Secretary General of NAPSAWU, Vincent Dlamini, said they remain opposed to salary cuts no matter how small or how big the IMF recommendation is.

Dlamini wondered why the IMF seems to be only looking at the option of salary cuts to ease the economic crisis.

"The IMF knows very well where the money losses in this country are. They know that corruption and misplaced spending are key areas where the country is losing money. What is the IMF doing about that? Why isn’t the IMF not telling government to stop spending so much money on defence?" Dlamini asked.

He said the IMF had not said anything to them about such cuts.

"If they engage us on the cuts, we will oppose them. If they impose them on us, we will rise up and fight against them," Dlamini said.

IMF team meets unions over cuts

MBABANE - The IMF says said everyone needs to agree to the initial cuts of up to 10 per cent by the end of this month for this particular intervention to have the desired effect.

Sources revealed that, while in the country, the Joannes Mongardini led delegation met with the Government Negotiating Team and civil service unions for progress reports on the salary cut negotiations.

According to NAPSAWU, the civil servants’ union, the IMF had initially called for 10 per cent cuts for everyone who earned over E300 000 per year.

The IMF went on to propose that civil servants who earn between E200 000 and E300 000 per annum should have their salaries slashed by eight per cent, while those who pocket anything between E100 000 and E200 000 should have their salaries cut by six per cent.

The IMF had proposed that the salaries of those who earn below E100 000 per year should not be touched.

Government modified the IMF’s recommendations and also proposed a pay cut of 10 per cent for civil servants who earn more than E300 000 per annum.

For civil servants who earn between E200 000 and E300 000 per year, government proposed a salary cut of nine per cent.

Furthermore, government proposed to cut the salaries of civil servants whose annual salary ranges between E150 000 to E200 000 per year, by eight per cent.

Government proposed to slash salaries of civil servants who earn between E100 000 and E150 000 per annum, by six per cent.

Finally, government also proposed that salaries of civil servants who earn less than E100 000 per year be cut by 4.5 per cent.

Cabinet, Royal Councillors and parliamentarians have already taken the 10 per cent salary cut to their salaries.

The government negotiating team is currently engaging the civil service unions on all their members agreeing to the cuts. So far, the unions are resisting the cuts.