GOVERNMENT has said all civil servants will be paid bonuses, reversing its earlier announcement that the 13th cheque for directors and above was performance-based.
The Public Service Commission (PSC) said performance-based bonuses for all civil servants will only be effected next year.
The Commission said with effect from next year, an individual’s performance will determine whether or not the employee will be paid a bonus.
Government last year introduced performance-based contracts which were first signed by Permanent Secretaries and were extended to Cabinet Ministers and heads of public entities this year.
The performance-based contracts were introduced in a bid to ensure employees deliver to expectations.
Government said it is paying its workers 100 percent bonus in forex starting this month but the payment will be spread over two months with the 50 percent being paid this month and the remainder next month.
In an interview yesterday, PSC deputy chairperson Dr Nomathemba Ndiweni-Masuku said Government has deferred to next year the performance-based bonus payments for directors and above.
She was speaking on the sidelines of a Government tripartite meeting with heads of departments in Bulawayo.
Government’s tripartite consists of PSC, Treasury and Office of the President and Cabinet.
The meeting was meant to explain the importance of coordination by various Government departments in implementing devolution projects.
“The bonus this year will be paid to everyone and will not be performance based. It is only next year that workers will receive performance related awards and not bonuses,” said Dr Ndiweni-Masuku.
She said in order to ensure the public gets quality services, performance-based contracts will be cascaded to lower tiers of the civil service.
Dr Ndiweni-Masuku said Government is in the process of reforming the civil service as it works to improve service delivery.
“There are certain values that we expect from our civil servants. We want a civil servant who is fit for purpose, who is ethical, who is performance oriented and citizen centric. A civil servant who does not think about himself or hersel but that person who needs his or her service and that is why we have introduced the performance related awards. We want to reward those who perform well,” said Dr Ndiweni-Masuku.
The PSC working with the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development as well as the Office of the President and Cabinet is working on transforming the entire civil service.
“We want the civil servants to do their work with greater efficiency and greater ethical considerations which results in higher performance,” aid Dr Ndiweni-Masuku.
She commended the Second Republic for ensuring the timely payment of civil servants’ salaries.
Dr Ndiweni-Masuku said stability in the payment of salaries improves workers’ planning.
“I used to get my salary late but it is no longer the case now and workers appreciate that. Workers have rents to pay and other family financial obligations to meet hence the importance of a definite pay day. We are very grateful indeed that in the Second Republic salaries are coming on time,” she said.
Dr Ndiweni-Masuku said in the past civil servants’ pay dates changed from time to time making planning difficult.
Meanwhile, Dr Ndiweni- Masuku said Government was in the process of filling up vacant posts.
She said it was not ideal to have Government departments led by individuals in acting capacities.
“We have some people who are working as acting directors, acting deputy directors and so on. That is not ideal. We want to work as fast as we can to fill those posts substantively,” said Dr Ndiweni Masuku.
Turning to the meeting, she said Government tripartite was meeting Ministers of State for Provincial Affairs and Devolution and Permanent Secretary for Provincial Affairs and Devolution across the country.
Dr Ndiweni Masuku said they were also meeting heads of departments and ministries who are key in the implementation of Government programmes.
She said various ministries staff should report to the Permanent Secretary for Provincial Affairs and Devolution.
In Bulawayo, all heads of departments and ministries are expected to report to Permanent Secretary for Provincial Affairs and Devolution Mr Paul Nyoni. – The Chronicle
