Civil servants say they are now able to go to work after the Government awarded them a 20 per cent Zimbabwe dollar salary increment plus an additional US$100 cash allowance, among other incentives.
In an interview with Zimpapers Television Network (ZTN), the secretary for the Public Sector Trade Unions David Dzatsunga said while the salary adjustment is not good enough, it should at least be enough to enable civil servants to return to work. He said:
We believe that these new measures will certainly make it difficult to justify incapacitation.
With US$175, the RTGS component could amount to an extra US$100 and we are looking at US$375 for the lowest worker on the current obtaining parallel market rate.
I believe that US$375 should be enough, it’s not good enough, it’s not the best, but it should be enough for someone to get to work.
Teachers downed tools when schools opened for the 2022 first term on Monday citing incapacitation and the Government responded by suspending the striking teachers.
Dzatsunga said they were in negotiations with the Government over the suspension of the teachers. He said:
We had a fallout on the Government side with the threat to punish teachers who didn’t travel to their workstations because of incapacitation.
They have genuine problems of incapacitation and the divide was too wide between the poverty line and their income.
Also speaking to ZTN, Minister of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare Paul Mavima called for cool heads on both sides for progress’ sake. Said Mavima:
It’s almost a matter that is sub judice because there are now court challenges and other things like that.
It’s not proper for us to be dragging each other through the courts and it’s not proper for the learners of this country to not be attended to as the Government is making frantic and very genuine efforts to improve the conditions of service of the workers.
I would appeal to everyone to really maintain a position of rationality so that we can move our country forward.
THESE TRADE UNIONS ARE NOW SELL OUTS THEY ARE PAID SO THAT THEY SILENCE THEIR MEMBERS, SHAME ON THEM. I THINK MORGAN WAS THE LAST GOOD TRADE UNIONIST. THE OFFER IS NOT ENOUGH TO ANY EXTEND. These people think we are fools we can't calculate. They are using the wrong calculations 2 FOOL US bcoz
1. The 100 bucks is NOT EFFECTIVE THIS MONTH, THERE4 THIS MEANS WE HAVE 75 USD ONLY.
2. The 75 bucks FOR COVID 19 ALLOWANCE IS NOT PERMANENT IT WILL SOON BE SCRAPED SINCE THE CASES ARE RAPIDLY DROPPING.
3. THE REMAINING RTGS IS NOT 100 USD IT'S ACTUALLY 50 USD SINCE WE WONT GET IT USING THE OFFICIAL RATE. USD RIRI KU_BLACK MARKET NOT KU_BANK CHERO ED ANOZVIZIVA IZVOZVO.
SO FROM THESE 3 POINTS IT MEANS OUR SALARY 4 NOW IS 100+50 WHICH 150 USD KO ZVE345 USD ZVRI KUBVEPI