The President of the Republic said yesterday that public employees should not "panic" in the face of inconsistencies in the application of the new Single Wage Table, guaranteeing that everyone will have their salaries.

"Don't panic because nobody will be without a salary," said Filipe Nyusi, quoted by Lusa, during a meeting with members of the Mozambique Liberation Front (Frelimo), the ruling party of which he is president.

The Mozambican government admitted on Tuesday the existence of inconsistencies in the application of the new Single Wage Scale for the state apparatus, but guarantees that everything is being done to resolve the issues.

The new table for Mozambican civil servants came into effect this month, after being approved by consensus by the three benches of the Assembly of the Republic (AR) on December 08, 2021.

The head of state also said that the "equation that dictates salaries has many variables" and that "they have to be harmonized" in order to avoid "imbalances" in the application process of the Single Wage Scale.

"This is not an easy exercise, but we will always watch so that it can happen and reduce the suffering of Mozambicans," said Filipe Nyusi, reiterating that it is an unfinished process and that "it will be perfected."

"The important thing is the intention and impact it will have on our lives," the Mozambican head of state stressed.

On Tuesday, the Minister of Economy and Finance, Max Tonela, said that despite constraints observed in its first month of implementation, the government will continue to use the procedure for the payment of salaries, with priority given to state employees receiving the minimum wage, which has now risen from 4,656 meticais to 8,756.

"Since the law is in effect, we will proceed with the payment of salaries for the month of July," Max Tonela stressed, adding that in the case of employees who were not covered by the new table due to inconsistencies, payments will be made as soon as possible, retroactively.

The new Single Wage Scale for civil servants has 21 levels, ranging from 8,756 to 165,758 meticais, instead of 103 steps, as was the case previously.

According to data from the Directorate of Public Accounting advanced at the beginning of the month, about 306,000 employees, 80% out of a total of 382,728 active state employees, were already framed and in a position to receive salaries according to the criteria defined in the new single salary scale.

The document defines that the President of the Republic receives a monthly salary corresponding to the top 21 steps, plus the representation subsidy equivalent to 40% of the respective salary.

The Mozambican government believes that the new "salary pyramid" in the state will reduce the weight of civil service salaries from the current around 13% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) to 8%, over the next four years.

It is also intended to harmonize criteria for the definition of salaries in the state, placing four criteria at the center of the formula: academic qualifications, seniority, career, and age.