Govt warns PSs over salaries

Malawi Government has warned controlling officers that they will face stiff disciplinary action if they fail to ensure proper planning in processing of civil servants salaries.

Since November last year, a large section of civil servants have been receiving their dues two weeks into a new month.

Minister of Information Brown Mpinganjira told the media on Friday that the measure was taken to reduce delays in payment of civil servants salaries which has been attributed to delays by controlling officers to submit GP5A forms.

The GP5A form has become an important document since details emerged of looting of government resources and it is a summary of personal emoluments of all positions in a ministry or department that has to be filled in every month and verified by the Department of Human Resource Management.

“All votes should make sure that they submit their GP5As by the fifth of every month and non-compliance to this shall attract stiff disciplinary action,” Mpinganjira said.

He said it was only after the forms are submitted that the processing of salaries could start and this normally takes two weeks.

But Mpinganjira admitted the long process and disclosed plans of an interface between Human Resource Information System [HRMIS], software that produces information for the GP5A and Epicor, software that pays out salaries.

Mpinganjira said: “This initiative will be fully operational before the end of this financial year.”

Due to the delays, further exacerbated by the civil servants three week leave in December, government said workers will start receiving January salaries in February.

The Accountant General last week wrote the controlling officers, informing civil servants that they would be paid in February.

So far, only the Financial Intelligence Unit, Judiciary and Immigration Department have started receiving their salaries.