‘Civil servants’ salaries promise certain’

cashFarirai Machivenyika Harare Bureau
GOVERNMENT has said it will not renege on its promise to raise civil servants’ salaries this month, a move expected to bring hope to the thousands that have been waiting for the notch up. This commitment comes despite the fact that Treasury admitted yesterday it had failed to meet revenue collection targets during the first quarter as envisaged in the 2014 budget.

Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development, Willard Manungo buttressed the pledge when he appeared before the Portfolio Committee on Budget, Finance and Investment Promotion.

“As government, a commitment was made and negotiations were held early this year with regards to the review through the negotiating forum in terms of the Apex council and ourselves as government.

“We signed up numbers and I think the indications by the honourable minister (Patrick Chinamasa) that was given was that it would give effect in April and I would want to say to honourable members us as Treasury we are mobilising the requisite resources to ensure that come April we deal with this obligation that we have already signed up to,” said Manungo.

Government and civil servants’ unions agreed on a salary increment that would see the least paid worker earning $375 which is three quarters of the poverty datum line pegged at $505.

He, however, said revenue collections had been below set targets by around six percent since the beginning of the year without providing the figures.
“If you look at revenue collections in terms of developments in January, developments in February, I think our revenues have been lower than what is envisaged in the budget and depending on the month we have been running around six percent or somewhere there in terms of not meeting the targets.

“But you also need to take into account that traditionally when we start the year, the revenues during the first half of the year tend to be lower and they then tend to pick up during the latter half of the year, but overall I would say developments in terms of revenue collections during the first quarter . . . I think we have been below the targets that we envisaged in terms of the 2014 budget,” he said.

Presenting the $4.1 billion 2014 budget Minister Chinamasa said $3.824 billion would come from tax revenues, with the balance of $296 million being non-tax revenue.

Manungo said the modest increment agreed in January came after an appreciation by workers’ representatives of the challenges the fiscus was facing.
“So in terms of expectation I think through the Joint Negotiating Council that’s one of the issues that we put on the table as a way of managing the expectations.
“In terms of the Joint Negotiating Council there is that appreciation that there are challenges and hence those modest expectations that we signed earlier on this year,” he said.

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