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Leonard Ncube Victoria Falls Reporter
THE government – hamstrung by declining revenues – is urging patience among public sector workers, insisting bonuses for 2015 will be paid this year without fail. The Apex Council, a body that represents government workers, has been demanding actual dates for the payment of bonuses that were promised last year.Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare Minister Prisca Mupfumira told journalists on the sidelines of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) field directors’ retreat here that Treasury was still mobilising resources and dates for the bonuses will be announced “soon”.

The minister said practically, the dates for payment of bonuses cannot be this month. “The President announced in April last year that everyone would get a bonus. As a ministry we support what President Mugabe said but we’re aware that liquidity is a challenge.

“Treasury is busy mobilising resources and at the moment I’m not in a position to say this is the date but it will happen, bonuses will be paid,” said Minister Mupfumira. She said the government was seized with a number of priorities such as sourcing grain, health care and developing infrastructure.

“Bonuses are very important and what we ask for is a little patience,” said the minister. “We’ve managed the December salaries and we’ll have the January salaries and very soon we should be giving dates for payment of bonuses and we need resources for all that.

“However, we need to be realistic. It won’t happen this month. Cabinet will resume sitting next week and these issues will be top of our priority. I’m also looking forward to getting a bonus but we’ve to be practical to say what comes first.

“We ask our workers to bear with us because it will happen.” At the last meeting with representatives of civil servants, the government gave dates for payment of January salaries for its workers. Addressing the conference earlier, Minister Mupfumira said the government will continue engaging its social partners on issues affecting workers.

The ILO organised the meeting on the invitation of the regional director for Africa Aeneas Chuma. Chuma said the motive of the retreat is to review progress made last year as well as come up with priorities for 2016

“We are here to enhance team work as we review accomplishments for last year. “This is an important platform for countries especially at this time when a lot of resources will be channelled towards drought relief and it will be incumbent of individual member states to localise what will come out of this meeting,” he said.