Public Service Management Division Permanent Secretary Boniface Chimbwali says the 8 percent salary increment that has been given to the education and health workers applies to all civil servants serving in Zambia except for the 2 percent, which only applies, to the health sector as an infectious allowance.
Mr. Chimbwali explained that Government through the bargaining unit agreed on seven principles that will guide on the review of terms and conditions on civil servants in 2012.
He further explained that from these principles, Government has removed tax from civil servants with a salary below K4000 and has upped the salary of those who were earning K3300 by K700, which will be replicated, to all civil servants.
Speaking to ZANIS in an interview this morning in Chembe District, he said Government through the able leadership of President Edgar Lungu has considered the plight of civil servants in Zambia through the salary increment and other benefits for civil servants.
He further explained that government introduced benefits such as the health insurance policy, the funeral policy and affordable rates at lending institutions such as Microfinance.
Mr. Chimbwali also clarified on the issue of debt swap saying government will assist civil servants who have loans with money lending institutions and advance salaries by swapping their debt with the money the government owes them in terms of allowances or emoluments.
“If a civil servant owes a money lending institution for instance K100 and government owes a civil servant that amount, then government will pay the money lending institution that amount it owes the civil servant,” he explained.
He has also assured civil servants that all those people that were employed in 2012 without required positions for the positions they hold and were given a period to upgrade have since been automatically migrated into their positions.
“When government employed people in 2012 some had certificates while placed in positions for diploma holders and so on and I can inform the nation that the PMEC and Human Resource Development Department has confirmed all the civil servants on those positions,” he clarified.