1 No. 25 of 2012 FIFTH NATIONAL ASSEMBLY PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES (HANSARD) SECOND SESSION MONDAY 19 NOVEMBER 2012 2 CONTENTS PAPER LAID QUESTION (Oral) MOTION BILL (Public) ADJOURNMENT 3 Members Members THE CABINET (Formed by Dr. the Hon. Navinchandra Ramgoolam) Dr. the Hon. Navinchandra Ramgoolam, GCSK, Prime Minister, Minister of Defence, Home FRCP Affairs and External Communications, Minister for Rodrigues Dr. the Hon. Ahmed Rashid Beebeejaun, GCSK, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Energy and FRCP Public Utilities Hon. Charles Gaëtan Xavier-Luc Duval, GCSK Vice-Prime Minister, Minister of Finance and Economic Development Hon. Anil Kumar Bachoo, GOSK Vice-Prime Minister, Minister of Public Infrastructure, National Development Unit, Land Transport and Shipping Dr. the Hon. Arvin Boolell, GOSK Minister of Foreign Affairs, Regional Integration and International Trade Dr. the Hon. Abu Twalib Kasenally, GOSK, FRCS Minister of Housing and Lands Hon. Mrs Sheilabai Bappoo, GOSK Minister of Social Security, National Solidarity and Reform Institutions Dr. the Hon. Vasant Kumar Bunwaree Minister of Education and Human Resources Hon. Satya Veyash Faugoo Minister of Agro-Industry and Food Security Hon. Devanand Virahsawmy, GOSK Minister of Environment and Sustainable Development Dr. the Hon. Rajeshwar Jeetah Minister of Tertiary Education, Science, Research and Technology Hon. Tassarajen Pillay Chedumbrum Minister of Information and Communication Technology Hon. Louis Joseph Von-Mally, GOSK Minister of Fisheries Hon. Satyaprakash Ritoo Minister of Youth and Sports Hon. Louis Hervé Aimée Minister of Local Government and Outer Islands 4 Hon. Mookhesswur Choonee Minister of Arts and Culture Hon. Shakeel Ahmed Yousuf Abdul Razack Mohamed Minister of Labour, Industrial Relations and Employment Hon. Yatindra Nath Varma Attorney General Hon. John Michaël Tzoun Sao Yeung Sik Yuen Minister of Tourism and Leisure Hon. Lormus Bundhoo Minister of Health and Quality of Life Hon. Sayyad Abd-Al-Cader Sayed-Hossen Minister of Industry, Commerce and Consumer Protection Hon. Surendra Dayal Minister of Social Integration and Economic Empowerment Hon. Jangbahadoorsing Iswurdeo Mola Minister of Business, Enterprise Roopchand Seetaram and Cooperatives Hon. Mrs Maria Francesca Mireille Martin Minister of Gender Equality, Child Development and Family Welfare Hon. Sutyadeo Moutia Minister of Civil Service and Administrative Reforms 5 Members Members PRINCIPAL OFFICERS AND OFFICIALS Mr Speaker Peeroo, Hon. Abdool Razack M.A., SC, GOSK Deputy Speaker Peetumber, Hon. Maneswar Deputy Chairperson of Committees Deerpalsing, Hon. Ms Kumaree Rajeshree Clerk of the National Assembly Dowlutta, Mr R. Ranjit Deputy Clerk Lotun, Mrs B. Safeena Clerk Assistant Ramchurn, Ms Urmeelah Devi Clerk Assistant Gopall, Mr Navin Hansard Editor Jankee, Mrs Chitra Senior Library Officer Pallen, Mr Noël Serjeant-at-Arms Munroop, Mr Kishore 6 MAURITIUS Fifth National Assembly --------------- SECOND SESSION ------------ Debate No. 25 of 2012 Sitting of 19 November 2012 The Assembly met in the Assembly House, Port Louis, At 11.30 a.m The National Anthem was played (Mr Speaker in the Chair) 7 PAPER LAID The Prime Minister: Sir, the Paper has been laid on the Table - Ministry of Finance and Economic Development – The Annual Report 2011 of the Civil Service Family Protection Scheme Board (In Original). 8 ORAL ANSWER TO QUESTION PRB REPORT 2013 - RECOMMENDATIONS The Leader of the Opposition (Mr P. Bérenger) (By Private Notice) asked the Prime Minister, Minister of Defence, Home Affairs and External Communications, Minister for Rodrigues whether, in regard to the PRB Report 2013, he will state – (a) how same was approved by Government when the recommendations thereof widen the gap between the highest and the lowest rank paid civil servants, indicating the requests submitted by the Unions in relation thereto, including if they have proposed an interim wage increase; (b) the names of the persons proposed by the Unions as Chairperson and Members of the Committee on Errors, Omissions and Anomalies, and (c) if Government has discussed with the Mauritius Employers Federation and the Unions of the private sector regarding any request from the employees of the private sector for an adjustment of their salaries, as a consequence thereof. The Prime Minister : The House will surely appreciate that Government has fulfilled its promise by ensuring the publication of the 2013 PRB Report ahead of time, despite a very tight and extremely economic difficult context. A salary review is normally due every five years. As the last report was published in July 2008 - in fact, this new report should have been published in July 2013 and, therefore, should be applicable in January of 2014 - we are, therefore, in real terms having a salary review in four and a half years instead of five years. This report is also applicable to Rodrigues and all the parastatal bodies. Nevertheless, the Government has approved the 2013 report in toto , to be effective on 01 January 2013, that is, instead of July 2013. Payment will be effected in full. The House will recall that in 2003, even though there was no global economic crisis, payment of the PRB salaries had been phased over two financial years . In evolving the proposed package, the PRB has taken into consideration the following factors - (i) the capacity of the Government to pay; (ii) the economic and financial development in the country; (iii) the remuneration trends in the economy and market realities; 9 (iv) the need to retain experienced and scarce talents; (v) the need to maintain an acceptable salary ratio of General Worker to Permanent Secretary; (vi) the need to partially bridge the gap between public sector and private sector at the appropriate levels of the echelon; (vii) the need to establish fair relativities to maintain harmonious employee relations; (viii) the erosion of purchasing power since the 2008 Pay Review; (ix) the unparalleled job security, pension benefits, work life balance and status provided by public sector jobs, and (x) the need to strike the right balance between providing an adequate pay package and ensuring social acceptability, among others. Mr Speaker, Sir, in regard to part (a) of the question, Government decided to approve the 2013 PRB Report in the full knowledge that the Report, itself, makes provision for errors and omissions as in the past. After the publication of the Report, Government received a number of representations from the Trade Unions and including they were asking for a meeting with me. I accepted to meet them on the 26 of October 2012 and, as a responsible Government, decided to extend the scope of eventual corrective measures not only to errors and omissions, but also to alleged anomalies. This decision was communicated to the representatives of the Trade Unions at the meeting I had with them. The Trade Unions unanimously approved the proposed course of action and, at their request, Government decided to extend the deadline for the submission of Option Forms to 19 November 2012. It was also agreed that all submissions relating to Errors and Omissions and alleged anomalies should be submitted by 30 November 2012. It was further agreed that the Committee set up to look into Errors and Omissions and alleged anomalies should submit its Report by the end of February 2013. I wish to point out, Mr Speaker, Sir, that the salary ratio General Worker to Permanent Secretary which was 1:8.6 in July 2008 was reduced to 1:7.7 in December 2012. This ratio has been reinstated at 1:8.8 with the 2013 Report. 10 Mr Speaker, Sir, in regard to part (b) of the question, during the meeting with Trade Unions, I invited them to submit the names of potential persons who may form part of the Committee on Errors, Omissions and Anomalies. I am informed that the Trade Unions, subsequently, submitted the following names - Trade Unions Names (i) State and Other Mr Mick Gujadhur as Chairperson and Employees Mr Abdool Hamid Malleck Amode as Assessor Federation (ii) Government Mr Bijaye Coomar Appanah, former Director of Teachers’ Union PRB (iii) Primary School Mr Bijaye Coomar Appanah Common Front Mr Paul Matthews - Consultant (iv) Trade Unions Mr Chandan Jankee, Professor in Economics Common Platform Mr Kemil Gobin However, the Unions were unable to reach consensus on either the Chairperson or the Members of the Committee. In the circumstances, Cabinet decided on 16 November 2012 that the Committee on Errors, Omissions and Anomalies of the PRB Report 2013 to be as follows - (a) Chairperson Mr Dharam Dev Manraj, former Financial Secretary and presently Senior Adviser, Project Management and Delivery Unit of my Office; (b) Members Mr Devendra Parsad Ruhee, former Senior Chief Executive and presently President of the Public Officers’ Welfare Council, and (c) Mr Khemil Gobin, Director, Edge Consulting, a company specialised in Human Resource Services (his name was proposed by the Trade Union Platform itself). I wish to highlight the fact, Mr Speaker, Sir, that the Trade Union Common Front has welcomed the appointment of Mr Dev Manraj as Chairperson of the Errors, Omissions and Anomalies Committee. Mr Speaker, Sir, at the same meeting, a request was made by the Trade Unions for an interim increase of Rs2,000 to be paid across the board to public officers. However, following 11 the decision to set up the Committee on Errors, Omissions and alleged Anomalies, they did not pursue the matter further. This is, Mr Speaker, Sir, not the first time that the publication of the PRB Report is the subject of representations from Trade Union Representatives relating to errors, omissions and alleged anomalies. For instance, the 1987 PRB Report was accepted by Cabinet but rejected by the Unions. This led to considerable tension and Government, subsequently, appointed Mr Donald Chesworth as Salaries Commissioner in April 1987. Mr Chesworth submitted his Report in September 1988 in which he made, inter-alia, the following observations and I quote - “It is of course the custom that after a major salary review this is followed by the vigorous pursuit of anomaly claims.