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“We have written a letter to the chairperson of the Joint Negotiating Committee to urgently convene a meeting where the salary issue will be settled. We are still awaiting their response. We have, however, demanded that the issue must be concluded by 31 December. We are still demanding that the lowest paid worker should get a gross salary that is equal to the Poverty Datum Line (PDL), which is now US$540,” said Mrs Tendai Chikowore, the president of the Apex Council, the body that represents all civil servants.
She said since the Government had agreed to give legislators their outstanding allowances, civil servants also wanted to be given their salaries for the seven months that they worked without pay.
“The Government has opened a Pandora’s box by agreeing to pay the MPs. We also want our back pay. As civil servants we will not accept a position whereby the Government will say there will be no increment next year,” said Mrs Chikowore.
The Zimbabwe Teachers Association (Zimta)’s chief executive officer, Mr Sifiso Ndlovu, said it was unthinkable that Government could finally announce that there was no pay rise.
“If they do that, it would be the greatest irresponsibility shown by any Finance Minister or Government and we will not brook that nonsense,” said Mr Ndlovu.
He said this year they expected their employer to come to the negotiating table with a position to present to workers, as opposed to previous negotiations where the Government just came to listen to
grievances and then spent time deliberating on them.
“Rumours that there will be no increment come from uninformed reporters. I have analysed the budget and I have seen that there is room for a marginal increment of about 25 percent. But then that would still be an intolerable far cry from our demands,” said Mr Ndlovu.
He said the pledge to pay outstanding allowances to legislators left the MPs with the onus of negotiating for Government workers, who were among those who voted them into office, to get their seven months back pay.
Commenting on the issue, the secretary-general of the Progressive Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (PTUZ), Mr Raymond Majongwe, said back pay should be discussed after the conclusion of the salaries issue.
“It would be immature on our part to mix matters. This would lead to protracted negotiations while workers continue suffering. We just want salaries indexed to the PDL for the lowest paid worker,” said Mr Majongwe.
Last week, Mr Majongwe said if workers unions failed to secure a salary increase from the Government for 2012, they should shut up and ship out, because they would have failed the people that they represent.
The chairperson of the Public Service Association, Mrs Cecilia Alexander could not be reached for comment.
The Minister of the Public Service, Lucia Matibenga, declined to speak on the issue and referred questions to the Public Service Association.
Bongani Ndlovu
Online Reporter