By Chernor Alimamy Kamara
As a way of harmonizing the workforce in the country, the Wages and Compensation Commission (WCC) is to address the issue of salary disparities, inconsistencies, and discrepancies so that people will be remunerated according to their qualifications and job responsibilities.
In a meeting held at the conference hall of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation at Tower Hill in Freetown on the 29th of February 2024, the Chairman of the Commission, Alpha Osman Timbo noted that the event was an engagement with all public sectors that are receiving emolument on the Consolidated Fund.
He stated that it is also geared towards introducing the WCC leadership to the various stakeholders in compliance with the WCC Act of 2023 to harmonize the public pay structure to reflect merit and equity. He added that the gathering was also for the WCC to fulfill one of the dreams of President Julius Maada Bio.
He called on the attention of all commissions established by Government, Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) that are determining the Terms and Conditions of Service for employees within various sectors to stop with immediate effect.
Chairman Timbo insisted that the work of the commission is through various engagements with sectors that are covered by the Act for them to be able to know that when once a decision has been reached, they should know that it is in the best interest of the country.
He appealed to the various institutions represented to know that they have to undertake some of these engagements to know each and everyone’s Terms and Conditions of Service in the various areas that they are currently working to put in place the mechanisms and structures implementable for people to be happy.
The WCC Chairman emphasized that for a nation to develop, it cannot rise above its workers, saying the President himself is a worker and that the quality of the job someone has will determine the level of development of a country.
In his statement, the Secretary to Cabinet and Head of the Civil Service, John Sumailah stated that during establishing the WCC, they have in diverse ways committed to its establishment. He recognized the actualization of the commission with the objective among other, to harmonize the public sector pay system by addressing issues related to disparity among various payroll categories.
He noted that the commission aims to address issues related to the disparity in Terms and Conditions of Service across subvented agencies to ensure fair and equitable wages and compensation systems that are consistent and sustainable. He added that it also aims to ensure that the public sector pay fairly reflects the actual work performed by the public official, to ensure that payment is affordable and predictable, and to streamline and harmonize the pension system in the public sector for a more sustainable pension scheme to ensure income security for workers.
The Head of Civil Service explained that they have over the years been advocating for the harmonization of the current public sector remuneration systems contained in various laws and institutional remuneration frameworks.
Acting Director of the Public Sector Reform Unit (PSRU), Sulaiman Phoray-Musa in his brief statement said that the meeting is long-awaited, saying it is a dream come true and is an opportunity for everyone to use. He believed that it is a good day for everyone in the public sector to look at an institution that will harmonize salaries across the public sector.
He said there have been distortions for a very long time which is very unfortunate for people who have graduated and have the same degree together; spending the same years in University, gaining employment the same day just to realize that someone is realizing a far more hefty salary.
He noted that the WCC is here to address the aforementioned issues of salary discrepancies so that people will be productive in their workforce.
The Wages and Compensation Act of 2023, was signed on the 13th of April 2023 by President Julius Maada Bio. The Act provides for the establishment of the Wages and Compensation Commission to be responsible for determining the Wages and Compensation for public sector employees, to harmonize the public sector pay system, to reflect equity and merit, and to prove other related matters.
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