Parliamentary Workers Declines 24% in Installments; As Govt Says Ready to pay 18%, remaining 6% i next budget Year.

Parliamentary Workers Declines 24% in Installments; As Govt Says Ready to pay 18%, remaining 6% i next budget Year.

The striking parliamentary workers have declined an offer that government has put on table as a way of listening to their 24% pay increment.

Government says is ready to offer them 24% increase as per their demands but will be paying in installments. 18% will be paid now and the raining 6% shall be paid in the next budget year in July as outstanding arrears.

Leonard Tilingamawa President for Parliamentary Workers Union in a telephone interview said the offer has been declined by the workers because this may cause uncertainty in future where the outstanding funds may not be paid.

"They have approved our 24% demand in principal but the implementation is that they will be paying us 18% now but in the next budget they will fully implement the 24% by including payment of the outstanding arrears of 6% in July" 

"In our Wednesday meeting as  Parliamentary staff we have stuck to our demands that the increase be in full" he said 

'In our calculations the six percent government say can not pay us at this moment translates close to K2.7 million per month for about 150 workers. We believe government cannot fail paying us this little money" he said. 

He added "If nothing happens then we are not going back to work"

The negotiations between government and parliamentary workers began following salary adjustment government made to various departments and Ministries effective October 2014.

Government maintains that workers from other departments and ministries have been receiving higher wages as compared to other workers of compared position and education level. And government has been explaining that the increment made to civil service was not salary increment but a salary harmonisation.