The Zambia Union of Nurses Organisation (ZUNO) and the Government of the Republic of Zambia (GRZ) have signed the 2016 collective agreement for improved salaries and conditions of service for Nurses and Midwives in the public service ranging from 10.4% to 28.5%.
This draws from the general increment awarded to all the public service workers in the health sector that ranges from 9% to 28.5%.
Speaking during the signing ceremony in Lusaka today, ZUNO President Thom Yung’ana, who also represented the other health sector unions, noted that the salary increments have been set using the principle of graded salary increment as opposed to the across the board salary increment, in accordance with the guiding principles agreed upon to be implemented over the ten year period (2012 to 2021).
Mr Yung’ana said the increment has positive effect on allowances in the health sector as every percentage that has been gained on the basic pay is reflected in allowances such as Housing, Transport, Health Personnel Shift differential, Commuted Night Duty and, Rural and Remote hardship Allowances.
He said the introduction of the Compulsory Group Funeral Insurance Scheme aimed at improving employees’ welfare. The scheme is 1% of the monthly basic salary to be shared between the Government and the employee at the rate of 0.60 % and 0.40% respectively.
Mr Yung’ana further noted that the negotiations were undertaken with the perception that the country currently has a limited finances and has therefore employed government to be prudent in the manner resources are utilised.
Other matters that ZUNO managed to resolve during negotiations includes the engagement for restoration of packages for former dismissed Nurses and Midwives, andthe reinstatement of the health personnel shift differential allowance for the thirty six (36) affected members.
And leader of the government negotiating team, and Public Service Management Division Permanent Secretary Dr Velepi Mtonga, stated that the negotiations were not easy and thanked the unions for exhibiting maturity and applying the spirit of give and take adding that have enabled the government to maintain the GDP ratio which paves way for economic growth.
The Two parties negotiated under the guidance of Mr Vincent Musowe, as Chairperson who also highlighted the importance of the health sector in relation to national productivity.
The salaries agreement was based on the correction of distortions and the Notching System which has been introduced in the single Spine Salary Structure that is based on the Job Evaluation and Re-grading (JERG) exercise.
Uko. PF must have found new savings and new earnings in the budget. We must have some serious growth somewhere to fund an extra 28% wage bill whilst we are face serious budget deficit. Anyway all mighty LUUUUNGUU is in charge. Watch the currency tumble further by more borrowing without capacity to repay let along service the debt. LOlest
@ Andrew, Its good to be realistic. If HH came and said he would award all workers with increments to get voted in I would not dare listen to him and call him mad. Use your brain not your underneath my friend. Simple if you take your kids to private school and suddenly had no source of income wouldn’t you rather have them in substandard govt school? instead of Hungry Chicken or Nandos you will still try and treat them with a sweet ice block because you don’t have. It will show your love in hard times. Its what Austerity does to help you recover so you don’t steal and go to jail. I didn’t mean to be rude sir.
They deserve more, grossly underpaid I am told
Thanks
BB2014
The govt was left with no option but to increase salaries, however, the inevitable is coming in the name of inflation and these increases will be swept before the owners know what happened to the increment.
Sounds like a correction of the discrepancies in the last increment that led to work stoppage by nurses not anything new. Again why not show figures? How much will they now earn?
Ati increment in 2016. Surely this is early campaigns by the PF govt as the increment falls with in 2016 elections period
But you are the people who are saying that the cost of living does not much with renumeration, so in your own thinking there shouldn’t be any increment in 2016 because it is an election year? What type of thinking is that, you will also cry foul when rains start because load-shedding will be positively affected, copper prices on the international market are likely to rise that will also have an effect on the dollar!!! You see will have very little to talk about next year since year DON’T OVER RATE YOURSELVES VERY SOON YOU WILL START CRYING.
A Quarter Of The Increament Is Payable To Grz As Paye,
I think a country that is run by Unions cannot prosper. For a start, when the country is achieving a meager growth rate of 4.8% you cannot expect increases. Zambia needs to embark on austerity.
Tell the people that you as UPND you will not increase their salaries in preference for austerity.
The increment is welcome and it is needed. But what the increment captured in the budget 2016? or this is expected to be part of the deficit for 2016 budget?
But the increment won’t benefit the nurses; just look at how essential commodity prices are going up due to the kwacha free fall.And the cost of fuel will soon rise,meaning the cost of everything else will also go up,so can the nurses celebrate now?
The economy has been messed up by PF.
What about other sectors in the public service? This is recipe for chaos.By the way,how much do they get? No figures given,why?
People’s salaries are supposed to be confidential. That’s why you Africans will never develop because you even spend time thinking about how much your neighbours earn instead of directing all your ernegies to improving your lives. Shame!
*There the UPND goes again. Opposing everything. I have reached a stage were i am even getting irritated to just hear the Tonga language being spoken. This breed of people is really amazing.
Comment: increment hs come at a time when the budget hs already come out what logic is at play here
Good increment 9 – 29%. Kwacha depreciation 63% this year. Raise in cost of living this year 51%. The unions have really been very considerate. Bravo! Next year we dont anticipate in increase in cost of living or any further depreciation of Kwacha.
These ba up and down just yap yap any how on any topic even without facts.Workers are being motivated thru a wage increment and they want o criticize govt.If this was not done,they would have climbed an anthill just to insult PF.These hypocrites need to be ignored by all well meaning patriotic Zambians.Above all,they should be discarded in 2016.
Inflation is what spurs great union leaders to bargain what can benefit their members. 9% kikikiki
manje manyeleti kulasa bwino. not throwing like darts
Awesome !! Way to go
Just to assure the UPND cadres who shed tears at anything, the wage freeze was lifted by President Lungu early this year. So these salary increments are actually catered for in the 2016 budget. I know you dont like the clarification but I hope it helps you to think more clearly as you debate. Please say soomething pisitive now, its good for your health and will certainly help reduce the government health bill if you are patriotic for once.
Comment: nurses salaries currently are around k4000. so 28% will be something like k1120. so most likely after tax you will get about k700 as increment. use it wisely.
Well done the listening Government. The difference between rhetoric and action! Greater things ahead of Zambians with our loveable and practical President Lungu.
Why would you hate PF Government anyway?
Copper prices have started improving on world market. Kwacha to stabilise and rains on the way, wow! Amanita kuli driver.
Just last week, the Finance Minister was saying that the balancing of next year’s budget hinged on austerity measures (other words, cutting down on expenditure). I really do not see us balancing the budget on this score because next week, teachers will start demanding, the police, soldiers until a point will be reached when all income will go salaries. The economy will be in the dumps, the kwacha reaching K20/$ and the cycle will repeat itself and Zimbabwe will not look too strange to us
Comment:police officer hasnt received any increament this 2016 its painful because cost of living has gone high what is the government doing.