Opposition Member of Parliament, Hem Chand, has raised concerns over the high rate of resignations within the civil service and is urging the government to implement immediate and innovative strategies to retain its workforce and address issues of low morale.

The report was presented by the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defence Chair, Lenora Qereqeretabua, yesterday.

While highlighting the findings and recommendations of the committee, she acknowledged the rising cost of living and noted the urgent need to update the General Orders 2011.

Qereqeretabua says while a review is underway, proposed amendments, including increases in meal, housing, and hardship allowances, were deferred due to budget constraints.

The Committee recommends that these proposals be reconsidered for inclusion in the 2025-26 National Budget to support civil servants in all parts of Fiji.

She says the Ministry of Civil Service has initiated a multifaceted strategy in relation to staff retention.

This includes salary reviews, retention allowances for high-demand roles, structured career progression, and improved work environments.

The Chair says the Committee supports this approach and recommends that Ministries integrate these strategies into their annual operational plans with regular audits to measure effectiveness.

Speaking in support of the motion on the ‘Review Report of the Ministry of Civil Service 2021–2022 Annual Report’ in Parliament, commended the Committee for its comprehensive report, noting positive findings and recommendations.

However, he also highlighted alarming resignation figures over the past two years and questioned the government’s plans to combat this “brain drain.”

He says civil servants are the foundation of the government’s effectiveness and questioned whether the Ministry of Civil Service had sought feedback from civil servants regarding their workplace environment and what factors contributed to the recent wave of resignations.

According to Chand, a key reason cited by departing civil servants is the increasing cost of living that has not been adequately offset by the recent salary increase implemented in August last year.

He is strongly urging the government to reconsider civil servants’ salaries and provide an increase that reflects their value and the current economic realities.

Finance Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Professor Biman Prasad while making his contribution to the report stated that since 2017, none of the civil servants had any pay rise, including the teachers, doctors and nurses.

He says it is the coalition government that has raised the salaries and wages of civil servants between seven percent to 20 percent.

Prasad says government spends close to about $1.2 billion.

He adds that in 2014, there were 27,000 civil servants and wage earners, in 2022, it increased to 33,000 and now, it is 37,000, and the biggest increase in the last two years.

He says they created new positions in the Health Ministry and included Nursing Aid, Nursing Assistants because they were losing a lot of them, and that was what they did.

He says the opposition members stop making generalizations.

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