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Harare Bureau
THE Government has started acting on civil servants’ demands for a salary increase and improvement of working conditions, with consultations already taking place between relevant ministries. The workers are also assured of receiving their bonuses starting next month.
The civil servants submitted their position paper to Government last week demanding a minimum salary of $540 and 30 percent of basic salary as rural allowance, prompting the Government action.

Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare Minister Nicholas Goche met representatives of 12 civil servants unions in Harare yesterday to discuss “areas of mutual interests” where he revealed that the Government was looking into their proposals.

Speaking after the meeting, Zimbabwe Teachers Association of Zimbabwe chief executive Mr Sifiso Ndlovu said Minister Goche told them that consultations between his ministry and other ministries had already begun.

“There is strong will to address our demands and Minister Goche told us that it is only a question of how much the workers would get as his ministry, the Ministry of Finance and other economic ministries are working flat out to see what can be done for now,” he said.

“He assured us that once the consultations are through then negotiations between the employer and the workers under a negotiating platform would be held. We were also told that the issue of bonuses was not negotiable and we would get them as usual, without fears like during the times of the inclusive Government.”

Mr Ndlovu added: “We were also told that Government was seized with our demands of housing and Minister Goche also appealed to us to stick to our core business of representing the workers as divergence can compromise the economic fabric of the country.”

Minister Goche, who met the workers with the permanent secretary in his ministry Mr Ngoni Masoka, confirmed that action was being taken on the workers’ demands.

“I met different Government staff associations and if something concrete comes out I will let you know,” he said.
Teachers Union of Zimbabwe chief executive Mr Manuel Nyawo said they were impressed by the engagement and commitment being shown by the new Zanu-PF Government.

“It shows there is some seriousness to address our plight and Minister Goche told us that tomorrow (today) he will again meet Finance Minister (Patrick Chinamasa) to find out how they can come up with something substantial for the workers,” he said.

“We remain patient, but we are happy that we have some concrete information to tell our members during the World Teachers Day coming on Saturday.”

College Lecturers Association of Zimbabwe president Mr David Dzatsunga said while there was no actual date when the salary increment would come, they were happy that there was some progress regarding their concerns.

“This is what we have been advocating for the past years,” he said. “At least there is an ear listening to our concerns and it is our hope that after the consultations there will be a National Joint Negotiating Council where we see what Government is offering and the way forward.”

In their position paper, the workers also proposed a housing allowance of $160 up from $74 and transport allowance of $63 for the least paid worker.

This was after the Civil Service Commission met the workers and urged them to draft a position paper on their salaries and conditions of service before engaging Government for negotiations.

The workers want a minimum salary that is in line with the Poverty Datum Line and that the salaries be paid on a cascading principle for all the grades.

The lowest paid Government worker is getting $297.
The workers also demanded land for residential stands and an active participation in the indigenisation and empowerment drive being implemented by Government through the Civil Service Investment Trust.

Government recently established the Trust to ensure the civil servants collectively participate in the programme, which is expected to uplift their standards of living mobilising resources to fund acquisition of shares across the country’s entire economic spectrum.

Civil servants have failed to get a meaningful salary increment for the past five years due to policy inconsistencies by MDC-T ministers in the inclusive Government.

The then Finance Minister Tendai Biti repeatedly told them that Government was broke, while the then Public Service Minister, Lucia Matibenga, was “arrogant” and evaded the workers in times of negotiations, while sometimes telling them plainly that she had nothing to do with them.

Minister Goche has pledged to work with the unions, promising that Government would consider their proposals.
President Mugabe has indicated that the new Zanu-PF Government prioritises the welfare and conditions of service for civil servants and would improve them before the end of the year.