The substantial increase in salaries within the civil service may have been music to the ears of some workers within government, but it has not been favourably accepted by the major civil-servant unions.

According to the Finance Minister Professor Biman Prasad, salary-based civil servants will receive a pay raise of around seven to 10 percent, while wage earners will receive an increment ranging from 10 to 20 percent.

The teachers and nurses unions, who have strongly advocated for a pay hike, have expressed discontentment over the announcement.

Fiji Teachers Association President, Paulo Manumanunitoga says they are not content with the increase in salaries and they will continue to pursue a strike.

“If you give us peanuts, we’ll give you monkeys. Don’t expect the teachers to be performing like if they paid that lesson. And those getting 100 plus percentage increase, giving the teachers 7 percent is just hopeless.”

Muaniappa Goundar, the President of Fiji Teachers Union has also expressed dissatisfaction with the increase in salaries by the government.

“We are not going to be content with what we have got. We are going to pursue further to see that we come closer to our demands.”

Meanwhile, Fiji Nursing Association President Alisi Vudiniabola says the government has not addressed their grievances.

“I’m not really sure whether the nurses are included with the civil servants. I felt that nurses were addressed separately, but there’s nothing in the health budget announcement that mentioned anything about the nurses’ grievances and things like that.”

In spite of the responses, the government believes that the increase in salaries for the civil service has been undertaken at an opportune time.

Finance Minister, Professor Biman Prasad says the pay raise is expected to bring a much-needed relief to employees of government, as they have suffered years of neglect.

“The civil service is the key arm of the Government machinery that provides the administrative prowess and institutional capabilities to ensure that policies are executed in the most efficient and effective manner.”

$85 million will be injected into the pockets of around 42,000 employees within government; with 38,000 in the civil service and 4,000 in independent institutions and state-owned enterprises.