Courts land 40% pay rise
It has emerged that government has effected a 40 percent increase in salaries for Judiciary support staff from April 1 2024, pushing up the arm’s wage bill by K2.6 billion.
An internal communication The Nation has seen shows that Ministry of Finance and Economic Affairs approved the increment on August 13 2024 and that the revised salaries will be backdated from April 1 2024.
The communication shows that to accommodate this revision, Treasury will need an additional K2.6 billion.
The Nation has also established that work is in progress to raise perks for judicial officers, notably judges and magistrates, whose conditions of service are under the Public Appointments Committee (PAC) of Parliament.
The revision has come at a time PAC is pushing for harmonisation of remuneration in the public service to cure existing disparities among public institutions.
In a written response to our questionnaire, Treasury spokesperson Williams Banda said such increases as the one effected in the Judiciary are provided for in the law and the Department of Human Resource Management and Development (DHRMD) was better placed for an explanation.
“Disparities are there indeed and government reviews salaries and other conditions of service as provided for in the relevant Acts, so it is legal in nature,” he said.
In his response, Banda ignored other questions such as how Treasury intends to manage the situation if it sparks demands from other public servants to have their wages increased as well.
On the other hand, DHRMD spokesperson Ken Mtonga asked for more time.
PAC chairperson Joyce Chitsulo said the issue of Judiciary support staff was outside the mandate of her committee as it only oversees remuneration for judicial officers.
However, she urged authorities to ensure that when revising salaries they take into consideration the harmonisation of remuneration policy championed by DHRMD.
“For institutions under our mandate such as Office of the Ombudsman, Legal Aid Bureau, Independent Complaints Commission, Office of the Director of Public Assets Declaration, that is what we are doing and this is not just for salary, but including other benefits,” said Chitsulo.
She also confirmed The Nation’s findings that a review of perks for judicial officers was underway, saying they have no choice as this is a matter of law.
Chitsulo said the breach of the law on judges’ remuneration dates back to 2012 and PAC is working to rectify the situation.
Chitsulo said the committee is also looking at magistrates’ welfare to allow them have a provision for a duty-free personal motor vehicle as most of them use public transport, which is a security threat.
Commenting on the developments, labour law expert Mauya Msuku said the issue of preferential treatment for judicial officers does not arise if the issue is looked into from an employment point view.
“It is not the problem of the Judiciary that others are not getting as much as them; this is an entitlement enshrined in the law and they must enjoy it. I am speaking from an employment side of the law and not the Constitution. If, anything others must bargain for their own deal,” he said.
The increase in Judiciary staff salaries comes about two months after Attorney General Thabo Chakaka Nyirenda obtained an injunction stopping some healthcare workers from a strike following government’s failure to raise their allowances.
In January this year, government increased civil servants salaries by 12 percent to cushion them from effects of the 44 percent realignment of the local currency.
At the beginning of the current financial year on April 1, another increment of 15 percent was given to civil servants, but implemented across the public service. These two increments combined are lower than what Judiciary staff members have received at once.
In the current financial year, wages and salaries are projected at K1.08 trillion, representing 5.7 percent of gross domestic product, according to the 2024/25 National Budget Statement.
