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Nqobile Tshili, Chronicle Reporter

GOVERNMENT and the Apex Council are set to meet today to discuss issues affecting civil servants.

The meeting being held under the aegis of the National Joint Negotiating Council (NJNC) is set to provide civil servants with feedback on issues that arose from the previous indaba.

In the previous meeting, civil servants were demanding that Government benchmarks their salaries using the interbank rate.
Apex Council chairperson Mrs Cecilia Alexander confirmed today’s meeting.

“I’m not in a position to comment. I will comment tomorrow (today) after the NJNC meeting. Please contact me tomorrow (today),” said Mrs Alexander.
The meeting comes as Government has promised to take care of the welfare of its employees.

The lowest paid civil servant presently earns $1 023, which their representatives say has since been eroded by inflation resulting in some allegedly having challenges reporting for duty.
Finance and Economic Development Minister Professor Mthuli Ncube last month promised a salary increase for civil servants and a bonus that will be pegged on gross income, a departure from last year when the 13th cheque was based on pensionable salaries only.

The development will increase civil servants’ disposable incomes ahead of the festive season.
Prof Ncube said Government cannot afford to peg salaries against the United States dollar.

“We cannot afford it. Where is the exchange rate now, US$1:$15? So can you imagine if we were to multiply that (the current salary) by a factor of US$1:$15. We cannot afford that as Government, we will go bust. So we will do it in a gradual way, I think we have done our best.
“We had an adjustment in April, another adjustment in July, another is coming, then we have the bonus in November,” said Prof Ncube.

The Minister said while Government has been adjusting civil servants’ salaries, “within our means” in the face of a severe drought, it was critical that private sector employers also played ball and adjust their employees’ earnings.

He said while it was critical for the private sector to cushion their workers, Government wanted that to be done in a manner which does not expose companies to bankruptcy. — @nqotshili