By EDDIE OSIFELO
MINISTRY of Public Service has sliced the housing rental entitlements for its employees.
This cost-cutting measure is set to take effect next year.
The new arrangement sees a level 1 public servant eligible for $1,500 monthly rental.
While the highest post holder in the government, SS3, is eligible for $4,500.
Permanent Secretary, Nego Sisiolo said their salaries will be untouched.
Sisiolo said the SIG will pay its employees with Public Service Housing Assistance (PSHA) specifically to support them rent a house.
He said Honiara-based officers who have and lived in their own accommodations will now be able to use the PSHA to improve their existing properties.
“Officers who rented houses at higher rate are expected to negotiate rental rates with their landlords to have the rates fall within their respective PSHA allocated rate,” he added.
Sisiolo said this policy change sensitises fairness on housing assistance to all officers and is leaning towards efficiency in public service as there will no longer be cumbersome paper works on tenancy administration as we currently experience.
However, some public servants have complained that the rental is too small which could land most of them in low-cost housing on the outskirts of the city.
