LCS officers demand standard salaries

Lesotho Correctional Service (LCS) officers say they are preparing for a bruising legal battle to force government to implement a court-ordered standardised salary structure that will bring them at par with other security agencies in the country.

The junior and middle officers, who have been fighting for the same remuneration as their counterparts in the police and the army with the same qualifications, are livid that government has neglected to implement a 2023 High Court directive to correct this anomaly.

Their struggle for a standardised salary structure for security agencies stretches back to 2014.

While the LCS officers’ efforts were initially unsuccessful, they were eventually buoyed by a September 2019 government gazette legalising and standardising a salary structure aligned with those of other security institutions, particularly the Lesotho Mounted Police Service (LMPS).

But still, the government did not comply, until three LCS officers rushed to court in 2023, and obtained an order approving new salaries. 

Besides the three, the remaining estimated 1,800 officers claim that based on the delayed increments dating back to then, the government now owes them over M200 million in salaries.

LCS officers earn a net salary of M7,000, while their police counterparts take home about M10, 000, making them the highest-paid among security officers. The Lesotho Defence Force and the National Security Service junior officers also earn less than the police.

However, despite the publishing of the gazette, the correctional officers have not received the desired salary increment, leaving them with a disparity of M3000 difference of salaries compared to the police.

This failure by government to implement the gazette and comply with the court ruling has left the aggrieved correctional officers and mulling to head back to court.

The officers also allege that the anticipated salary increases were not effected after the LDF Commander, Lieutenant General Mojalefa Letsoela, raised objections that the army was not consulted in discussions to align salaries across the security agencies.

However, LDF spokesperson, Lieutenant Colonel Sakeng Lekola this week said his office was not aware of these claims.

In three years since the gazette was published, the correctional officers’ frustration grew as their wages remained stagnant.

Their court victory came after three officers instituted a legal challenged in 2023 and in a ground-breaking ruling last year, the High Court ordered the government to implement the wage increases after reviewing and standardising the salary structure for security agencies.

The court also ordered the government to pay the LCS officers’ their arrears dating back to 2019.

The three officers were paid their outstanding salary increment in April this year, while the rest of the correctional officers at their level have remained on the same salary.

LCS spokesperson, Assistant Commissioner Pheko Ntobane this week confirmed that the trio received their payments.

He noted that the changes were applied to them only as the court application cited them as applicants, leaving the rest of the officers.

This publication has learned that three officers received a staggering M400,000 backdated to 2019, but Assistant Commissioner Ntobane could not confirm the payment, saying he was out of office.

He however, acknowledged that the government had failed to implement the published gazette, warning that further delays to address the long-outstanding issue of the M3000 discrepancy in salaries would result in more costs.

The disgruntled officers accused their superiors of not backing them in their demands, claiming that management at the Senior Commissioner level and above had their own salaries adjusted to match those of their counterparts in other security agencies.  

“They have not spoken out on the issue. They’ve been silent all along despite our pleas for them to speak on our behalf,” an officer said, on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisal.

The officers added that they feel isolated and ignored, as they continue to struggle with the issue of salary disparity that has persisted for years.

Two officers involved in the planned court case told theReporter in an interviewon Tuesday this week that the silence from senior management has exacerbated their plight and weakened their fight for justice.

They accused their superiors of looking out for their own interests over the welfare of their subordinates, by deliberately not supporting their push for the implementation of the gazette.

“The court is our last resort. We remain steadfast in our determination to secure the overdue salary increments that we believe we are rightfully owed. It became more painful when we saw others being paid their outstanding money and their salaries increased, while no one says anything to us,” one of the officers said.

The officer indicated that their lawyer would soon file a case in the High Court.

All we want is for the government to follow through on the gazette and implement the salary adjustments that were approved years ago. We will fight through the legal route because if we demonstrate through a go-slow action, we would be threatened that our security agencies will take over our roles, he added.

Another officer said that the disparity in treatment between the three officers who took legal action and the rest of the correctional officers at the same level raises questions about the government’s commitment to fairness and equality in compensation.

“We, like other security officers, play an essential role in maintaining public safety and order, but we continue to be undervalued and underpaid compared to other security agencies,” he stated.

He further noted that the pay gap affects the livelihoods of correctional officers and underscores the need for a comprehensive review of the compensation structures across Lesotho’s security institutions.

“Years have passed since the gazette was published and yet the promised salary adjustments have failed to materialise. The broken promises have left us disheartened. We show up for work each day, not out of enthusiasm or pride, but because we must,” he added.

Contacted for comment this week, the information officer in the Ministry of Justice and Law, ‘Malesaoana Mohale, said they were not aware of the issue.

She referred this publication to the Ministries of Finance and Development Planning and Public Service, saying they were in a better position to comment on the structure salary debacle.

The information officer in the Ministry Finance and Development Planning, Keneuoe Mojaki, said issues of implementing salary structures for civil servants fell under the Ministry of Public Service. In turn, the ministry promised to provide a response, but had not done so by the time of going to print.