More than 6,000 government employees in the Vanuatu public service, teaching service, the police, parliament and those under the Official Salaries Act, will receive a pay rise for the first time in 11 years.
Vanuatu Daily Post reports the pay rise will cost the Government nearly Vt1.9 billion (US$17.65 million).
The last increase was in 2006 to increase the salary of all government workers. Hence, this pay rise has been a long time coming, the Government Remuneration Tribunal (GRT) Board and all the stakeholders agreed.
On Saturday, November 18, 2017, the three-member GRT Chairperson, Marie-Antoinette Nirua, Vice Chair, Chris Kernot, and Member Roan Lester, signed the documents approving the pay rise of 22 per cent that will become effective on January 1, 2018.
These documents included the salary review reports and salary scale determinations.
Stakeholders’ representatives – Chairman of the Public Service Commission, Martin Mahe, Chairman of the Teaching Service Commission, Derek Alexander, Commander Job Esau representing the Police Service Commission, and the Acting Clerk of Parliament, Leon Teter were present to witness the signing ceremony of the pay rise by the GRT Board and the Acting Director General of the Office of the Prime Minister, Gerard Metsan.
This week the new salary increase will be recorded in the Government Gazette by the State Law Office.
Photo file. Caption: Vanuatu police officers among government employees to receive pay rise