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Botswana: Govt to Recognise, Pay for Scarce Skills
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Mmegi/The Reporter (Gaborone)
9 April 2008
Posted to the web 10 April 2008
Bame Piet
Gaborone
At last government is prepared and willing to pay its employees with scarce skills salaries equivalent or even better than their counterparts in the private sector. In addition to the 15 percent salary increment for civil servants, those with scarce skills will get even more. This, it is hoped, will retain staff who have been moving from government to join the private sector in large numbers.
Among the most affected sectors are health, construction, the judicial service, and information technology (IT).
In her address at the ceremonial opening of the Legal Year on February 5, 2008 the Attorney General Athaliah Molokomme lamented the exodus of trained staff from her department to the private sector.
"In the case of our chambers, we are able to attract fresh university graduates into the lower ranks of state counsel," she said. "(But) once they have acquired some experience, and maybe a Masters degree (at government expense), they leave for what they perceive to be greener pastures in the private sector.
"The result is that in the ever-increasing pressure of work generated by our dynamic economy, there is a heavy workload on the remaining staff. Unlike private law firms which can turn down clients when they are too busy, the government law firm has no choice but to attend to the needs of its sole client.
"Since my last speech, five attorneys in the Civil Litigation Division resigned their posts to join the private sector. Staff retention in the DPP is not any better, with at least six staff having resigned during 2007, undermining some of the gains on which I reported."
Even ministers have complained that they are unable to retain staff with scarce skills and attributed that to low implementation of government projects.
In dealing with the problem, the Office of the President issued a Directive on March 13, 2008 to confirm that government has decided to approve, as a transitional measure, a variable temporary Retention/Scarce Skills Allowance of more than 40 percent of the basic salaries of medical doctors, dentists, engineers, architects, quantity surveyors, pharmacists, chemists, veterinarians, chartered accountants, laboratory scientists, speech therapists, laboratory technicians, and veterinary technicians.
Government also recommended 35 percent for aircraft pilots, computer systems designers/analysts/programmers, lawyers, judges and other law professionals (the E Band and above) Economists, town and traffic planners, geologists and geophysicists, cartographers and surveyors, psychologists, pharmacy technicians, dieticians, lawyers, judges and other law professionals (the D Band and above) were given a 30 percent salary allowance.
Lawyers, judges and other law professionals (the C Band), IT technicians and management analysts got a 25 percent approval, while radiographers/radiography technicians will get 20 percent.
Architectural and engineering technicians (excluding IT), occupational therapists/physiotherapists, radiographers/radiography technicians, were awarded 15 percent.
The directive states that the allowances will be paid to citizen and non-citizen employees and will take effect from April 1. Eligible employees will however be required to sign an undertaking that the allowance shall be terminated when evidence no longer indicates that the skill is in short supply or reduced if the degree of scarcity of the identified scarce skill occupation has also reduced.
The directive further says a Technical Committee comprising the Directorate of Public Service Management (DPSM) and the Employment and Manpower Planning Section (MFDP) should carry out an annual skills audit to determine areas of greatest need, based on submissions by Accounting Officers for the consideration of government.
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"As a long-term solution, government should within three years move towards a broad banded structure to open up opportunities for faster progression for deserving cases; within one year Schemes of Service across the Public Service be reviewed such that they are performance and competence based rather than time-bound as is presently the case; all concerned parties, including employees, should note that the formula used in arriving at the list of occupations eligible for the Scarce Skills Allowance is only a guideline and further that government as the employer, retains the right to determine which occupations should earn the Scarce Skills Allowance and at what rates," the directive partly states.
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