SRC Plans For Civil Servants’ Allowances, Pay Rise
The Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) plans to streamline upward salary reviews for civil servants and protect state employees from the effects of the current economic downturn.
SRC is advocating for the adoption of a policy that will require public servants’ salaries and allowances to be revised every four years to keep up with the rising cost of living.
The new strategy, according to the SRC proposal submitted to parliament, will help bridge the gap in the salary adjustment procedure, which lacks a clear timeline.
Only Heads of State and Members of Parliament currently receive salary increases every four years. However, under the new strategy, other government employees will also receive raises in allowances and salaries every four years.
Civil servants currently bargain for salary increases through collective bargaining agreements (CBA), which are not always honored.
The adoption of the new strategy, as outlined in the Commission’s proposals, will, however, be guided by national budget planning cycles.
“The commission shall review and advise on remuneration and benefits for other public officers every four years,” the proposal read in part.
“The commission shall undertake the review taking into account the applicable national budgeting and planning cycles.”
The commission, led by Lyn Mengich, also argued that the new strategy will establish a clear framework and even address cases of industrial action, which typically paralyze operations.
The government currently spends approximately Ksh830 billion on wages, which is slightly more than half of its revenue in the fiscal year 2021.
This new strategy proposal comes at a time when Kenyans are dealing with high living costs. Basic commodity prices have reached an all-time high, forcing many people to dig deeper into their pockets for survival.
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The private sector, on the other hand, has no specific rules that govern salary increases. Before being implemented, the majority of policies are developed by individual Human Resources (HR) desks.
Other workers, such as teachers, have unions that negotiate on their behalf and present their demands to their employers.
SRC Plans For Civil Servants’ Allowances, Pay Rise
