By William Madouk Garang
The Economic Cluster under stewardship of the Vice President Dr. James Wani Igga has approved SSP 526 billion supplementary budget that will see civil servants’ salary structure improved to match market forces in the country.
In a meeting Chaired by the Vice President for Economic Cluster, Dr. James Wani Igga, yesterday endorsed the supplementary budget after it was presented by the Minister of Finance and Planning, Dier Tong Ngor.
Speaking to the media after a meeting, the cluster’s spokesperson, Lily Albino Akol said the Cluster reflected five options during the discussion on how to fund the supplementary budget for the new salary structure.
“Option number one – is allocating 5, 000 barrels of the oil that was meant for road construction and option number two – is reclaiming the barrels that are meant for transitional financial arrangement to Sudan – as we know this arrangement comes to an end in April this year,” Akol noted.
According to her, other routes to reach the over half-a-trillion budget is to deduct approximately 15% from the oil revenue stabilization fund, 10% from the future generation fund, and deducting of approximately 5% from the use of goods and services.
“All these deductions will amount to an amount of 526 billion and that amount will be able to cater for the increment of salaries given the fact that the budget for the fiscal year 2022-2023 was already passed by parliament,” Ms. Akol stated.
For her part, the Minister of Finance and Planning, Mr. Ngor said the increment is to improve the living standards of the people of South Sudan as well as to improve performance based on rewards of wages and salaries.
The Finance minister added that with salary increments the general crimes rates in the country will drop low because every person will be receiving what is enough to cater for his needs.
The six-member committee’s recommendation on remuneration for South government employees was approved by the cluster with amendments.
The reviewed pay structure would be put on the table for consideration by the national Council of Ministers for its final endorsement by the reconstituted Transitional National Legislative Assembly.
In September, the Minister of Public Service and Human Resources Management, Joseph Bangasi Bakosoro presented to the Council of Ministers the addition of SSP 658 billion supplementary budget for new salary pay structure.
However, the Economic Cluster sliced the SSP658,776.6 proposed budget by SSP132.8 from the amount that the minister of public service had first requested.
The new salary structure was passed to the economic cluster by the Council of Ministers so that the cluster could assist the government in locating funding sources before the Council and later the parliament approved it.