The next Pay Research Bureau (PRB) report will be ready by October 2012 and the deadline for trade unions to submit their proposals is May 30. This was stated at a press conference held in Port Louis on Thursday.
In this regard, the president of the Federation of Civil Service and Other Unions (FCSOU), Tulsiraj Benydin stated that their proposals will deal with reform of pay structure and conditions of service of civil servants.
Benydin said that next PRB report should differ from previous ones. The proposal will include leave applications, training and development, hours of work, recruitment and promotion and problem in the civil society.
“There is a need for a scientific approach to determine salaries grading structure. PRB should deal with rising inequalities in the present organisation structure in terms of salaries and condition of service to provide some sort of safety net to employees with appropriate salaries that restores confidence in the public sector,” said Benydin.
He highlighted that a minimum salary of Rs 15,000 should be taken as a reference point and through this, the ratio between senior chief executive and general workers should be determined. Also, there is no recruitment and promotion due to no job vacancies available. Merit should be the guiding principle in any selection exercise.
Concerning leave applications, Benydin said that maternity leaves should be extended to 14 weeks and paternity leaves should also be introduced. Also, sick leaves should be paid full in order to decrease absenteeism among civil servants. Commenting on the MedPoint issue, Benydin said that the FCSOU totally disagrees with the Independent commission Against Corruption’s (ICAC) procedures.