The Fiji government has signed a 5-year public service pay increase agreement which will cost taxpayers 136-million US dollars.
The Fiji Times reports that the first payment of 20-million US dollars in salaries and allowances will become due in June.
It follows the signing of an agreement for a 4% Cost of Living Allowance for each year from 2003 to 2007.
The chairman of the Confederation of Public Sector Unions, Rajeshwar Singh, says officials from the Fiji Public Service Association, the Fiji Nurses Association and the Fiji Teachers Union completed negotiations yesterday.
Apart from the Cost of Living Adjustments for each year, the unions will receive the graduated award handed down by the permanent arbitrator, William Callanchini, for 2004 which gave the highest rises for the lowest paid civil servants.
More than 29,000 public servants are expected to benefit from the payout.
