- Pas d’augmentation dans le salaire des élus depuis 2016, dit le PM
Pour répondre à la Private Notice Question du Leader de l’opposition Joe Lesjongard, le Premier ministre et ministre des Finances, Navin Ramgoolam s’est une nouvelle fois appuyé sur l’état de notre économie pour faire descendre les attentes en vue de la publication prochaine du rapport du Pay Research Bureau.
Le Premier ministre, Navin Ramgoolam a été très bref dans sa réponse. « Before, that is since 1982, the Pay Research Bureau has conducted a general review exercice on pay and grading structures every 5 years, except for the 2016 report. The 2016 report was published after a period of 3 years only. The 2016 PRB Report however, restablished the periodicity of the general review exercice for 5 years and consequently the last one was in 2021. I am informed that preparations for the next PRB Report has started in March 2023 according to a pre-set workplan. It is worth to note that apart from ministries and departments, local authorities and the Rodrigues Regional Assembly, there are some 125 parastatal bodies that fall under the perview of the Pay Research Bureau. The Bureau has to gather maximum information to facilitate interactions and exchange of views with all stakeholders ».
Navin Ramgoolam enchaine dans sa réponse pour dire que « so far the bureau has had more than 675 meetings with staff associations and management of both parastatal bodies and the civil service. 1710 interviews have been conducted in relation to job description formulaires and 17 site visits have been effected to examine alleged problem area highlighted by the stakeholders ». Pour donner suite à cette déclaration, le Premier ministre reviendra sur le State of the Economy Report publié en décembre 2024 pour se justifier. « The State of the Economy Report, clearly demonstrates the precariousness of the economic situation. The previous government left a much much larger deficit that has been announced. Public Sector Debt reached an unsustainable level and all the macroeconomic fundamentals were in red. It is in this particularly difficult context that we have presented a budget which obviously required drastic measures to redress public finances. It is against this background that the PRB Report is being prepared ».
Selon Navin Ramgoolam, la préparation du rapport est en phase avancée. « It is difficult for me to give an indication of the PRB report as the cost implication of the report are still unknown… ».
Répondant à une question supplémentaire de Joe Lesjongard sur le salaire des élus à l’Assemblée nationale, Navin Ramgoolam est resté évasif. Le Leader de l’Opposition voulait savoir si dans un élan de solidarité, le PM allait recommander au PRB de ne pas augmenter le salaire des élus. Ce à quoi le PM répond, « salaries of elected members have not been touched since 2016 »…
Pour le Premier ministre, le gouvernement a une marge de manœuvre réduite en raison des ratings de Moody's.
