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, saying failure to do so will see them going on strike before pay day.
The civil servants are demanding a salary that is in line with the Poverty Datum Line (PDL).
The PDL presently stands at $567, while the lowest paid civil servants are getting $298 per month.
In his 2013 National Budget presentation, Finance Minister Tendai Biti said the Government would award civil servants an inflation-based salary increase this year.
The country has an annual inflation rate of less than five percent.
In separate interviews yesterday, civil servants’ representatives said they were looking forward to significant salary increase this month.
Mr Richard Gundani, the Zimbabwe Teachers Association (Zimta) secretary-general said they would continue putting pressure on the Government until they get a reasonable salary increase.
“We are insisting on a salary increase that is in line with the PDL because as civil servants we deserve better.
“If the civil servants do not get a salary increase, which is in line with the PDL, then we have no choice but to down tools. We have just completed a round of annual general meetings in the country and all civil servants are concerned about this issue,” said Mr Gundani.
“We are looking forward to a couple of meetings with the Government to discuss remuneration issues and we want civil servants to know how much money they are getting before pay day. We do not expect any excuses from the Government because teachers will be reporting for duty as normal when schools open this week and they do not want to be disappointed”.
Mr Gundani said Zimta was also expecting the re-introduction of the rural allowances for teachers based in rural areas.
“The Government should also consider the re-introduction of rural allowances for teachers in rural areas. This will not only benefit the teachers but also the education sector as teachers will be motivated.
“We are also expecting the Government to review the salary differences between the civil servants’ grades. At the moment the salary differences between grades are very small and we are hoping that the Government will consider making meaningful differences,” said Mr Gundani.
He said teachers were not going to accept an inflation-based salary increase because it would be paltry.
The Progressive Teachers’ Union of Zimbabwe (PTUZ) national co-ordinator, Mr Enoch Paradzayi, said the union was already mobilising civil servants for a strike if salary increases were not effected this month.
“We continue to lobby the Government to review our salaries to ensure civil servants are paid living wages. If nothing acceptable happens this month, we will definitely go on strike.
“In 2012, civil servants did not receive any salary increases but got allowances which added up to $58. The inflation-based salary increment is not acceptable because it adds up to about five percent which is between $15 and $20,” he said.
In January last year, Government workers went on a five-day strike that saw the disruption of work in the public service. The strike was called off when the Government announced that it had reviewed civil servants’ housing and transport allowances, while the basic salary remained unchanged.
However, the move was rejected by the Apex Council, which represents all the civil servants bodies.
The Government has always argued that it does not have enough money to award salary increases to its workers.
The Minister of Public Service, Lucia Matibenga, declined to comment yesterday and referred all questions to the Public Service Commission chairperson Dr Mariyawanda Nzuwa whose mobile phone was not reachable.
Online Reporter