FILE PHOTO: Jema Nunu Kumba, the Speaker of the R-TNLA at the 5th governors' forum in Juba - credit | Office of the First Vice President | Nov. 26, 2021

The parliament will approve the new salary structure for civil servants once it resumes its sittings from the one-month recess, the speaker has said.

On December 9, the cabinet directed the Minister of Finance, Dier Tong to prepare an additional budget to cover the new salary structure for government employees.

Addressing lawmakers during the announcement of the recess yesterday, Speaker Jemma Nunu Kumba says the new salary structure for civil servants and soldiers has been addressed by the executive.

“The concern of all of us is the new salary structure of the civil servants, the army, and the other organized forces. At least now the decision has been reached at the level of the council of ministers to approve the new salary structure,” said Nunu.

“We are waiting for the new salary structure to be presented to the parliament when we come back from recess so that we can pass it into law and then it will be affected by the executive.”

In September, the national parliament passed a 1.4 trillion pounds fiscal budget for 2022/2023 with a deficit of 560 billion pounds.

The budget was passed without incorporating a proposed new salary structure for civil servants and soldiers.

According to the government spokesperson, Michael Makuei, the finance minister was asked to present the budget to the cabinet for approval before the parliament.