KIGALI - The Minister of Public Service and Labour, Anastase Murekezi, yesterday, said that the government is in the process of revising the salary structure of public servants.

Murekezi was speaking during the celebrations to mark the International Labour Day. "We are expecting to have a slight increase in salaries,” Murekezi said.

The Minister noted that the government is especially targeting those with the lowest salary scale, such as primary school teachers "but the middle and high salary earners, will also have their salaries revised.”

He appealed to heads of public institutions to evaluate their activities, and the performance of their employees so that they are remunerated accordingly.

"Increasing salaries depends on the work done and the returns of every institution,” Murekezi explained.

The minister called upon Rwandans to organise themselves in cooperative societies, which he said are one way to boost the country’s economy and rapid development.

The event also saw the best cooperative societies at the national, provincial and district level across the country rewarded with cash prizes and certificates of recognition for innovativeness, value addition and job creation.
Umuhuza Mw ‘Isuku cooperative, from Kicukiro District emerged the best at the national level, walking away with a Rwf 1million cash prize.

The group is comprised of about 80 former sex workers in Nyarugunga sector.

At the provincial level, where each of the winners were rewarded with Rwf 750, 000, COOCEN from Nyarugenge District, which deals in recycling garbage emerged the best in Kigali City. Duhuzamaboko and ASSOPTE cooperative societies were the best in the Eastern and Northern provinces respectively.

ASSOPTE which has about 4,600 members owns 971 hectares of tea in Rulindo District and it bought 13 percent of the Rwanda Tea Company (SORWATHE) shares.
In the Western Province, KIAKI cooperative society, which gets revenues of about Rwf 600m annually, emerged winners while COPABU Inganzo Yacu from Huye, which deals in art and crafts with about 500 members, were the winners in the Southern Province.
Each of the best cooperative society at district level also received Rwf 500, 000.

Murekezi called upon districts to help cooperative societies in their respective areas to draft project proposals to enable them acquire loans from financial institutions.

Ends