The Government has pledged to review civil servants salaries soon to protect them from price hikes and improve their welfare. The Government is already paying its workers various allowances in foreign currency, with the lowest paid getting about US$250 a month.
The National Joint Negotiating Council (NJNC), the forum where public service pay and conditions are discussed, will meet in the next two weeks to agree on the percentage increase.
Acting Information Minister Jenfan Muswere said this on Tuesday while answering questions on the Teaching Professional Council Bill. He said the Bill would not affect the salary negotiations.
Public Service Minister Professor Paul Mavima said the salary review was in progress.
“The percentage is subject to negotiation in the NJNC. We will convene the NJNC as soon as the Ministry of Finance gives us the framework,” he said.
Zimbabwe Confederation of Public Sector Trade Union spokesperson David Dzatsunga said they were waiting for the NJNC meeting to finalise the pay increase.
“We want to restore the value of wages in local currency that has been eroded by the exchange rate and price increases. The US$250 is an allowance, not a salary,” he said.
The Government’s latest offer was a 100 percent pay increase for civil servants, which matched what the workers had proposed in the NJNC.
Zimbabwe Confederation of Public Sector Trade Union chairperson Cecilia Alexander said they hoped that Government would review both the local currency and forex component.
“We are committed to dialogue as the only way to improve our conditions of service. We are calling for an urgent NJNC meeting on the erosion of the local currency,” she said.
Alexander said they wanted an offer that would adjust with inflation, as their salaries were always sabotaged by some forces.
She said Government had been trying hard to improve their welfare by regularly reviewing salaries and allowances, but there was need to find a lasting solution.
