Emoluments Commission Approves a 10.5 percent Salary Increment for Public Service Workers

The Emoluments Commission has approved a 10.5% salary increment for public service workers for this year.

This follows the submission of the collective agreements after Government and the Public Service Unions concluded their negotiations for salaries for 2023.

Emoluments Commission Chairperson George Kawatu stated that the Commission during it’s sitting on 29th December 2022 approved the salary increment which government and the unions arrived at during negotiations.

Addressing the media in Lusaka, Mr. Kawatu said that the Commission also approved the salary increment for the Judicial and Allied Workers Union of Zambia which also submitted it’s collective agreement.

Meanwhile, the Emoluments Commission has warned that some civil servants risk being demoted or dismissed for not performing according to expectations.

And the Commission Vice Chairperson Mwamba Chanda noted that the Commission wants to ensure that salaries are paid according to performance of the workers.

Meanwhile, Emoluments Commission Acting Director General Mwamba Peni said that the commission wants to see an organized and efficient public service.

“An efficient civil service will also help the private sector to thrive,” Mr Pen

The Emoluments Commission, today also announced the guidelines and way forward regarding emoluments management in State organs and State institutions. This follows the appointment of the members of the Emoluments Commission by His Excellency the President of the Republic of Zambia, Mr. Hakainde Hichilema, in accordance with Section 6 of the Emoluments Commission Act, 2022. In the interim, State organs and State institutions are guided as follows:

The Emoluments Commission will renew expiring contracts on existing salaries and conditions of service and within approved institutional budgets while awaiting rationalisation and harmonisation by the Emoluments Commission, and will recruit on expanded structures while taking into account factors outlined in Section 20(1), (c), (d), (e), (f), (g), and Section 20(2) of the Emoluments Commission Act.

The Commission will also embark on staff replacements and/or promotions according to the existing salaries and conditions of service. They will also issue short-term contracts or temporal engagements in accordance with approved institutional plans and existing emoluments for part time employees until further notice by the Commission.

They will honour obligations for contractual agreements that have come to an end such as payment of gratuity and other related dues for staff.

And Institutions that have already embarked on negotiations on salaries and conditions of service, should proceed to conclude and finalise the negotiations taking into account the principle of affordability and sustainability and submit the collective agreement to the Emoluments Commission before registering with the Labour Commissioner.

Additionally, Institutions that have not yet commenced negotiations on salaries and conditions of service, should obtain parameters from the Emoluments Commission within which negotiations should be conducted; and

With regards to review of salaries and conditions of service, institutions should submit proposals to the Emoluments Commission for consideration in accordance with Section 20 (1) and (2) of the Emoluments Commission Act, 2022.

The Emoluments Commission is an independent institution that seeks to introduce and entrench rationality, harmony and equity across existing widely divergent Pay Policies subsisting across the public sector spectrum.

On 8th April, 2022, President Hakainde Hichilema assented to the Emoluments Commission Act, 2022 and subsequently issued the Commission Order to operationalise the Emoluments Commission on 20th June, 2022.

On 28th June, 2022, President Hichilema signed the Commencement Order for the Emoluments Commission Act, 2022 while the Act has since come into operation on the publication of the Commencement Order as per Government Gazette Notice No. 1042 of 2022, dated 6th July, 2022.

The Emoluments Commission was established under article 232 of the Constitution of Zambia (Amendment) Act, 2016 with the mandate to determine on the recommendation of the relevant authority or commission, the emoluments of pub;ic officers, chiefs and members of the House of Chiefs. Further, article 264 (2) provides for the Commission to determine emoluments of a State officer, Councillor, Constitutional office holder and Judge.