By: Thaimu Bai Sesay
The Government Budget for the Fiscal Year 2024 has proposed that with effect from January 2024 the least paid Civil Servant would receive a take home pay of 1,000 New Leones which is equivalent to 1,000,000 Old Leones and would also recruit 500 civil servants.
“The salaries of civil servants have not been reviewed since 2019. Therefore, the projected wage bill also provides for adjustments in the wages and salaries of civil servants to partly compensate for the increase in the cost of living,” justified in the budget.
Presenting the bill on Friday 10th November 2023, in the Sixth Parliament of the Second Republic, the Minister of Finance Sheku Ahmed Fantamadi Bangura intimated that the bill was entitled as the “Appropriation Act, 2024,” with the theme ‘Restoring Macroeconomic Stability While Protecting the Poor and the Vulnerable.’
At the presentation, the Finance Minister revealed that the Government wage bill was projected to increase to NLe6.5 billion (6.4 percent of GDP) in 2024 from NLe5.3 billion (6.7percent of GDP) in 2023. “Of this, NLe385.3 million is allocated to Pensions and Gratuities and other allowances. Contributions to the Social Security Fund for Government workers will amount to NLe526.4 million,” he said.
The Finance Minister furthered that the Government’s commitment to a 45 percent increase in salaries for teachers which started in 2023 remained intact, as he assured that teachers would receive the second tranche of 15 percent in January 2024, adding that the Government would also recruit 2,000 additional teachers and reassess and promote 2,200 teachers, effective September 2024.
“In recent years, despite the tight fiscal space, Government awarded salary increases to teachers, staff of tertiary educational institutions and the security forces. Government also awarded salary increase to health workers by maintaining the COVID-19 allowance,” the Minister recalled.
On tertiary educational institutions the Minister noted in the budget that a recruitment of 500 staff by tertiary educational institutions would be actualized effective April 2024 as follows: Universities – 300, Colleges -100 and technical and vocational institutions -100 staff;
On the health sector, the Minister assured that the Government unwavering commitment to the recruitment of 2,000 health workers, which was part of the delayed recruitment for FY2021 and FY2022 quotas as follows: 1,000 effective March 2024 and another 1,000 effective July 2024 would be honoured.
The Finance Minister assured in the budget that the other set of recruitments such as recruitment of 500 new employees by sub-vented agencies including the newly established; recruitment of 700 military personnel (including 58 military health workers); recruitment of 1,000 new employees by the Sierra Leone Correctional Services; recruitment of 200 new employees by Fire Force Authority would all be effective, July2024; and as well as the recruitment of 100 consultants in the FY2024;