Mbabane – The Ministry of Public Service has released Establishment Circular Number 2 of 2025 detailing the implementation of the revised salary grading and pay structure for government positions, following the 2025 Salary Review exercise. The circular, signed by Principal Secretary M.S.F. Shabangu on 27 October 2025, follows extensive consultations between the Government Negotiations Team, Public Sector Unions, and the consultants Emergence Human Capital, trading as Emergence Growth, in partnership with Umelusi Partners.
The circular operationalizes the Collective Agreement signed by all parties on 15 October 2025 and applies the Paterson System of Job Evaluation to all established positions. The evaluation led to a new standardized salary structure, with Grades A4 and A5 discontinued to ensure coherence across the framework.
Conversion of positions within the same grade will see officers move to the first notch of the new pay scale, except for Grades A and B, which will transition notch-to-notch. Officers earning more than the new grade will retain their current salary as a personal right until alignment occurs.
The government has committed to paying 15 percent of salary arrears for the period 1 April to 30 September 2025 on the October 2025 payroll. The remaining 85 percent will be settled in the first month of the second quarter of the 2026/2027 financial year, in July 2026. Officers with no upward adjustment or those downgraded will receive a once-off payment equivalent to 5 percent of their annual basic salary in October 2025.
Revised allowances include a housing allowance of E2,000 per month for Grades A and B, effective 1 October 2025, while Grades C to F will receive full implementation in July 2026. The bus fare allowance is set at E0.76 per kilometre, capped at E1,200 per month, also effective from 1 October 2025.
The circular provides tables for the conversion of all categories and positions, including appendices for Grades A to F, daily paid staff, temporary and extra-clerical assistants, and the conversion of positions to new grades.
Controlling officers are required to report any errors or anomalies observed in the circular or its implementation to the Principal Secretary. No officer will be deprived of a rightful advantage, nor allowed to gain an unentitled benefit due to an error or anomaly.
The circular allows for appeals to be submitted within 30 working days through the relevant controlling officer. Valid appeals may include additional information not considered during the Salary Review exercise or substantial changes in the scope of a job. Individual appeals or comparative appeals outside the same job family will not be considered.
Former public officers who exited service before receiving the necessary salary adjustments, yet are covered by the circular’s effective date, may apply to be paid up to the last day of their service.
The revised salary grading and pay structure takes effect from 1 April 2025 and supersedes all previous circulars and correspondences on public service salary structure and grading.
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