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Oliver Kazunga Senior Reporter
THE National Joint Negotiating Council (NJNC) is expected to meet within a week as civil servants push the government to respond to their demands for a pay rise and other non-monetary benefits.

The NJNC consists of nine members each from the government and civil servants representative unions that include the Zimbabwe Teachers’ Association (Zimta); the Progressive Teachers’ Union of Zimbabwe (PTUZ); the Public Service Association and College Lecturers’ Association of Zimbabwe who all fall under the Apex Council, their umbrella representative body.

Although the Minister of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare, Cde Prisca Mupfumira could not be reached for comment immediately, Apex Council chairperson Richard Gundane said the NJNC was supposed to meet last week but postponed the meeting to pave way for the just –ended Zimbabwe International Trade Fair.

He added that the meeting is expected within a week.

“We’re supposed to be meeting within a week but we’re yet to confirm the dates but we’ve agreed that we will be meeting after the trade fair. We want government to respond to salary increase demands for civil servants and other non-monetary benefits in the public service,” he said.

“The government has for a long time not responded to our demands as we still don’t have non-monetary benefits such as housing scheme for civil servants. We want the public service to access urban accommodation as well as be given tax exemption when importing vehicles.”

Minister Mupfumira has previously stated that the government was facing serious cash flow challenges and urged civil servants to be patient. She ruled out a salary increase for them given the limited fiscal space.

Civil servants are demanding a minimum salary linked to the Poverty Datum Line (PDL), which was pegged at $505.

At the moment, the lowest paid worker in the public service earns $360 per month.

“Last year, the government achieved a lot as the salary structure was increased to three quarters of the PDL. We’re now fighting to have it increased to PDL as the minimum,” added Gundane.

Last month, Finance and Economic Development Cde Patrick Chinamasa drew the ire of civil servants when he announced that annual bonuses in the public service for this year and 2016 had been suspended as the government sought to tame its ballooning wage bill and create fiscal space.

However, President Mugabe immediately said Cabinet had not approved the suspension of civil servants bonuses.

Cde Chinamasa has since said the President’s directive to reinstate civil servants bonuses would be implemented, adding that the announcement of the suspension of bonuses for two years was due to procedural mistakes.