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.
