By: Ousman Saidykhan
National Assembly Members yesterday July 28th 2022 approved the Revised Estimated Budget tabled by the Minister of Finance and Economic Affairs, Seedy Keita in the first extra-ordinary session in the 2022 Legislative Year seeking a 30% salary increment for the civil service.
While tabling the document, the Minister told parliament the need to adopt the revised budget, saying it was meant to improve the lives and livelihood of Gambians but of the civil servants specifically, as it is the reflection of the Gambia’s current economic realities.
He told lawmakers that the 30% salary increment only applies to civil servants, including ministries and departments likewise subverted hospitals and schools under the ministries of Health and Basic and Secondary Education.
The Minister explained that pensioners are excluded from the increment simply because they benefited from a 100% increment in 2018, causing an income mismatch between pensioners and active employees.
However, many people say it is a discriminative budget as high-income earners like the President and his ministers will earn more compared to low-grade earners like teachers and nurses.
The President who receives a monthly salary of D255, 000 will now get D331, 000 which means D76,000 has been added. In the same vein, the ministers will get D65, 000 as a monthly salary, a D15,000 increment on the D50, 000 they used to get. However, low-income earners like teachers and nurses and also junior civil servants will still receive low salaries compared to their more senior colleagues.
The government announced its intention of establishing a new grading system and pay scale to match the “increasing” cost of living in the country.
