Anomaly on pay for senior cops

Police union Popcru has welcomed the move, saying an agreement in the bargaining council was reached a few years ago, but the process stalled due to legal matters. Photo: SIBUSISO NDLOVU

Police union Popcru has welcomed the move, saying an agreement in the bargaining council was reached a few years ago, but the process stalled due to legal matters. Photo: SIBUSISO NDLOVU

Published Dec 3, 2014

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Johannesburg - The cabinet is in the process of adjusting the salaries of police majors and lieutenant-colonels, following allegations of bad blood and “ill feelings” among officers because the two ranks earn the same salary.

A lieutenant-colonel is ranked higher than a major in the current military-style ranking structure.

Police union Popcru has welcomed the move, saying an agreement in the bargaining council was reached a few years ago, but the process stalled due to legal matters.

Majors and lieutenant-colonels are currently lumped together in the Band D salary grading in the current structure.

Responding to a Parliament question from the EFF, Police Minister Nathi Nhleko said he was aware that the salary grade for the rank of major and lieutenant-colonel is the same.

EFF MP Pebane Moteka had asked Nhleko whether he was aware that the salary grade was the same “and that this situation is allegedly causing ill-feelings between persons who hold the rank of major and those who hold the rank of lieutenant-colonel”.

“If not, why not? If so, what measures does he intend to take to correct this problem area?” asked Moteka.

Nhleko said

: “This aspect is currently under consideration by the ministerial mandating committee, tasked with the responsibility to provide mandates for the next round of salary negotiations on improvement in salaries and other conditions of service for the 2015/6 financial year and beyond.”

He said the mandating committee meeting was chaired by Minister of Public Service and Administration Collins Chabane and was also attended by himself as the police minister.

Popcru general secretary Nkosinathi Theledi said they were now working on how to “unlock” the agreement in the bargaining council to allow for the changes.

“The problem was when issues of ranks were introduced. Initially it was a problem (for majors and lieutenant-colonels) and now there is a new arrangement to differentiate the two ranks, hence the minister is going to make funds available for that,” he said.

The Star

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