Mozambican cabinet approves salaries cut for senior government officials

Mozambican cabinet has approved a bill proposing pay cuts for ministers, deputy ministers, state secretaries and MPs as government grapples with a rising wage bill.

Finance and Economy Minister Max Tonela said the proposal was also seeking to address concerns over provincial assemblies members’ salaries, which he said contradicted the principles of fair pay.

Tonela said some of their salaries were significantly higher than those paid to other executives and specialized professionals.

He did not indicate the amount of the proposed cuts but the pay cuts will not be applicable to public servants whose salary was adjusted under Unified Pay Scale (TSU) approved this year.

The move comes nearly two weeks after International Monetary Fund highlighted the need for government to reduce public wage expenditure.