Monday, August 29, 2016

DAYLIGHT ROBBERY

Not too long ago Minister Adam announced that Seychelles Gross National Income (GNI) was in the region of $14,000 per capita and in the same breath he said that in a recent census of household income it emerged that just over 39% of the population live below the poverty line earning SCR 3900/- per month or less.

Strange, because 39, is the number of years that SPUP, SPPF and PL has been in power. I cannot help but conclude that every year that PL has been in power the level of poverty has increased by 1% therefore the question is, if PL remains in power for the next 5 years (making a total of 44 years) will those living below the poverty line be 44%? 

One of the ways through which a PL government has contributed to the creation of poverty is the issue of “tan servis”. The formula of one day’s pay for each month worked, dates back to the colonial days, but in 2010 this government found it fit to trash it down to a mere 0.8333 pay for each month worked, therefore The tax payer loses 0.1677 pay for each month worked.

For example a person earning a salary of SCR 5000.00 per month, after working 5 years in a company/Government on a 5 day week  he/ she would have earned SCR 13846.00 as “tan servis”, but under the present system where a worker gets only 0.8333 pay, for each month worked he/she would only get SCR 11537.87, because instead of the government paying the employee 60 days equal to (5 years “tan servis” on the pre 2010 formula) the government only  pays the worker for 50 days. (Which is, four years and one and a half months salary only, instead of five years). In essence the longer you serve in the company or government you loose big time!! This means for every 5 years that an employee works he /she loses 10 days pay from his “tan servis” payment. If he/she has served 15 years therefore he/she stands to loose a whole month’s salary as compensation paid to him/her. This is day light robbery!! That is not all, the employees I have spoken with all tell me that after five years service they only get around Seychelles Rupees Six Thousand as gratuity.

And this, is only one of the ways that PL uses to give the citizens of Seychelles ‘son don li”.



Alexia G. Amesbury