Aviation, Justice ministry staff eat big in new salary structure
Justice and Constitutional Affairs Minister Norbert Mao speaks during plenary in Parliament on July 4, 2023. PHOTO/DAVID LUBOWA
What you need to know:
- However, other civil servants in the new salary structure, which was released on June 30, never got any enhancement.
The salaries of aviation staff and legal professionals from the Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs have been enhanced in the new salary structure for this financial year.
In the new salary structure, which was released on June 30, other civil servants except those in the aviation staff, legal professionals from the Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs, never got salary enhancement.
“In accordance with the phased approach to salary enhancement and considering the global impact of Covid-19, salary enhancement for the Financial Year 2023/2024 has been implemented for the following categories of the public officers: Aviation staff (including Soroti Flying School, presidential crew, and pilots under the Uganda Police Force); and legal professionals under the Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs,” the circular released yesterday reads.
The circular standing instructions came into force on July 1.
This financial year, the government will spend Shs7.2 trillion on the wage bill, which is an increase of Shs912b from the previous financial year.
Aviation staff have been given an enhancement salary per month, with some members getting as high as Shs10m while legal professionals in the Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs got increments ranging between Shs5m and Shs1.8m.
The presidential aviation crew and aviation staff, who have been the highest earners in the civil service in Uganda, have again got a salary enhancement. The lowest paid aviation staff will earn Shs4m.
The highest paid aviation staff member, the executive director of the presidential crew, will get Shs32m from Shs22.5m.
The President’s chief pilot will earn Shs30.2m in monthly salary, from Shs21.6m while his chief engineer has got a pay rise from Shs21.6m to Shs29.3m.
The presidential flight captain’s salary has been increased from Shs20.2m to Shs28.5m.
The salary of the Pilot Commandant of the Police wing has been increased to Shs17.2m from Shs14.8m while that of the senior pilot has been raised to Shs15.1m from Shs10.7m.
Legal officers in the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions will get their full salary after the government waived Pay As You Earn taxes. The monetary benefits will range between Shs5m and Shs1.8m depending on each officer’s salary scale. The lowest paid legal professional in the ODPP, who is the state prosecutor, will earn Shs3m. The Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions will get Shs20m from Shs13.86m. The Principal Assistant Director of Public Prosecutions will take Shs13.8m salary from Shs8.76m per month while the Senior Assistant Director of Public Prosecutions salary is Shs12.5m per month from Shs8m.
The Assistant Director of Public Prosecutions will earn Shs10.5m from Shs7.8m.
The Chief State Attorney will earn Shs9.8m salary per month from Shs7.8m.
The salary of the Administrator General has been increased from Shs12m to Shs13.8m.
A registrar in the Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs has been raised to Shs12.5m from Shs10.5m.
The Deputy Registrar in the same ministry will get Shs10.5m from Shs9.8m.
However, salaries of legal professionals other than those from the Ministry of Justice, ODPP, Uganda Police Force, and Judicial Service Commission, were not considered. For instance, a legal professional outside the stated four institutions will earn Shs3.55m per month yet the officer of the same profession in the Ministry of Justice will be earning Shs9.8m.
The assistant commissioner legal and the principal legal officer will earn Shs2.9m and Shs2.7m, respectively.
Such salary disparities of civil servants of the same profession and ranks have in the past led to legal battles.
Early this year, police officers with a legal profession sued the Attorney General demanding that they get the same salary like their learned friends doing the same work in civil service. The case is still pending hearing in the High Court.
Last year, 70,000 local government workers went on strike demanding a pay rise. But the Minister of Public Service Muruuli Mukasa agreed that they would get an increment this financial year, which hasn’t happened.
