13 Dec 2023

 Government has engaged Malaysian Private Consulting Firm, AB Consulting through the Directorate of Public Service Management to conduct preliminary assessment on the areas of remuneration management system under the impending fan-shaped salary structure.

The company consultant, Dr Amin Khan said at a consultative meeting with public servants in Moshupa on Monday that they had identified that the current government pay structure of one notch ruler structure was not functioning as it was supposed to, owing to issues of the complexity of the appraisal form and biased session between the employee and employer.

He said the Botswana public service did not have a comprehensive remuneration structure as the current system followed a traditional model made of grades and notches, requiring a new employee to start from the bottom notch, with no flexibility to consider special skills and experience.

“This means that upon reaching the ceiling the employee must be promoted to advance to another grade in order to advance in salary therefore causing stagnation,” he explained.

He said government had laid out an excellent vision transforming the country from an upper middle-income to a high income economy.

“It is critical to consider other factors in order to achieve that. 

The critical success factor to achieving that will be consideration to creating a high performing public sector that will help move many levers for social and economic development,” he said.

Again, he said the fan-shaped salary pay structure was the solution given that its framework would enable government to attract, retain and motivate public service employees.

In her remarks, Botswana Public Employees Union (BOPEU) president, Ms Masego Mogwera said they were working cordially with DPSM on improving conditions of service.

Ms Mogwera also said government would continue to pay the five per cent salary adjustment for the year 2024/25 as agreed by the DPSM and the unions previously.

“However an increase may be considered at the negotiating table based on the state of the economy,” she said. ENDS