Big plans for civil servants from August 1st, new customer service guideline launched
Teaching staff will be allowed 3 days of annual personal leave

Big plans for civil servants from August 1st, new customer service guideline launched

Teaching staff will be allowed 3 days of annual personal leave

By Rusiate Baleilevuka
Saturday 16/07/2022
[Image: File Photo]

The Job Evaluation and Civil Service Remuneration Guideline will be amended to expand the definition of scarce skills to facilitate the inclusion of the payment of retention allowance for skill sets that exist in competitive markets for high performing civil servants.

Work on this will be finalised soon and subsequently announced.

The suspension of the payment of Maritime Location Allowance was lifted while a review of Rural Allowances was to be undertaken.

The review has since been completed and from 1 August 2022, Rural Allowances will be reinstated for eligible civil servants at standardised rates across Ministries and Departments.

From 1st August 2022, school based teaching staff will be allowed three days of annual personal leave with the approval of their Heads of Schools and/or the Divisional Education Offices.

To align to international best practice, the amount of annual leave that can be carried into a new leave year within a valid contract period will raise from 10 to 12 days; depending on the operational context of the Department or Ministry, flexi hours may be considered by the respective Permanent Secrataries. With the government recognizing the high demand for nurses overseas especially in Australia and New Zealand which was evident by the high turnover experienced by the Ministry of Health and Medical Services, the Ministry of Health will work with the Fiji Nursing Council to identify additional specialised areas of nursing to allow the Ministry to remunerate these specialisations accordingly.

The payment of transport allowance will be prioritised for those in public health care nursing in rural areas.

Midwives have been a scarce skill in Fiji for some time with the government investing in higher salaries and increase training opportunities to ensure we have enough midwives in the country. Degree level teaching positions have been evaluated at Band F, similar to other positions across the civil service.

From 1st August 2022, teachers who are eligible to be on Band F, will transition to Step 3 of Band F. This will also apply to newer graduates with relevant qualifications. This is to allow for some consistency in the pay of teachers.

Teachers on Bands D & E on shorter term contracts will be provided with five-year contracts to allow them time to upgrade their qualifications so they can move up to higher bands and earn themselves a pay rise.

A new Customer Service Guideline was approved and circulated to all Ministries and Departments earlier this month for implementation.

As part of the implementation, a customer service has been launched with a feedback line.

The 157 toll-free number now allows anyone in Fiji to provide feedback or submit a complaint related to customer services they have received at any government ministry or department and will also serve as a feedback loop that will contribute to the performance assessments of staff, and of the respective Ministries and Departments. The feedback received on the toll-free number will inform an announcement next year of the Top 5 service-driven ministries and departments.

Meanwhile the government will be restoring the ten percent pay cut that was asked of all the Permanent Secretaries throughout the pandemic and any voluntary pay cuts taken by the Heads of government funded agencies from 1 August 2022.

Ministers, Assistant Ministers, and MPs will remain on 25 percent reduced pay.

FEATURE NEWS
Kishore Kumar avoids jail time as 12-month sentence is suspended for 3 years in Agni Deo Singh case
57-year-old former school teacher, Kishore Kumar will not be spending time behind bars as his 12 months sentence has been suspended for three years in...
29 days ago
LATEST NEWS
Tanoa Hotel Group and NZ students plant 600 mangroves at Taiperia, Lautoka
To combat the ongoing effects of climate change and the company’s commitment to environmental sustainability, the Tanoa Hotel Group and 16 ...
26 days ago

Ovalau family to celebrate Easter reminiscing the hard work and dedication of their late son
The Boleilovoni family will have a celebration this Easter at their home in Lovoni Village, Ovalau, celebrating their late son Joseph Rymell ...
26 days ago

Expect a rainy Easter weekend as a flash flood alert and heavy rain warning in force for Fiji
People need to be prepared for a wet Easter weekend as a flash flood alert is still in force for all low-lying and flash flood-prone areas of Viti ...
26 days ago

Flash flood alert for Viti Levu and Vanua Levu
Please be prepared as a flash flood alert is now in force for all low lying and flash flood prone areas of Viti Levu and Vanua Levu. A heavy rain ...
27 days ago

U.S Ambassador calls out China on trying to undermine its bilateral relationship with Fiji
It's puzzling that any country purporting to be a friend to Fiji would try to publicly undermine Fiji’s bilateral relationship with one of its ...
27 days ago



fijivillage Straight Talk with Vijay Narayan
Latest Videos

Stay tuned for the latest news on our radio stations

CFL radio frequencies
IN DEPTH
Top Interventional Cardiologist Dr Kapadia on fijivillage Straight Talk With Vijay Narayan
The show will focus on health services in the country. The former Marist Brothers Primary and High School student who has been practising medicine ...
37 days ago

Supervisor of Elections on fijivillage Straight Talk With Vijay Narayan
The interview focus on preparations for the 2026 general elections, voter related issues, electoral laws, the 2022 glitch and the municipal council ...
37 days ago

Swire Shipping Fijian Drua Coach, Glen Jackson on fijivillage Straight Talk With Vijay Narayan
Swire Shipping Fijian Drua Coach, Glen Jackson appeared on fijivillage Straight Talk With Vijay Narayan from the Drua base in Nadi. Coming off ...
41 days ago

TOP