Civil servants hail Govt for converting Covid-19 allowance to salary

CIVIL servants have urged Government to consider reviewing their salaries upwards as they lauded the Second Republic for converting the US$300 Covid-19 into a permanent pensionable salary.

Government introduced a US$75 Covid-19 allowance in 2020 and has progressively increased it to US$300, but since it was an allowance, it was exempted from being taxed.

Zimbabwe Confederation of Public Sector Unions (ZCPSU) chairperson, Mrs Cecilia Alexander, said they were excited about the development which is a product of the National Joint Negotiating Council (NJNC) engagements.

“The conversion of the US$300 allowance to the basic salary is a welcome development. It is a product of the National Joint Negotiating Council (NJNC) engagements. Workers must celebrate this development because it builds on their proper salary as they work for a salary, not an allowance and therefore we are excited as civil servants,” she said.

“An allowance can be withdrawn anytime but now there is no more risk of this happening because it has now become permanent on our payslip. We need to continue negotiating for an improvement in USD terms.” The NJNC is the umbrella forum for discussions on pay and conditions of service within public service.

Mrs Alexander’s sentiments were echoed by the president of the Zimbabwe Nurses Association Mr Enock Dongo.

He said the move ensures that there is sustainability and also boosts the morale and confidence of the workers.

“Allowances were not part of the pensionable income hence when this money is moved to be part of the salary it means it is now pensionable and those workers who are being retired from service after serving a long time were getting peanuts when their pensions were being calculated especially using the local currency,” said Mr Dongo.

“Now that the calculation will be done using the forex component, it means they are going to get something meaningful that they can take home.”

Mr Dongo said the move was a sign that Government had its employees at heart.

“They want to see people having a better living even when they leave public service to go and retire after serving for so long,” he said. The greater ease of obtaining loans from banks was an advantage,” he said.

“The civil servants can now be able to borrow from the banks in forex and can do some projects which is better than before when it was allowances. It was so difficult for anybody to go and borrow forex.”

Mr Dongo urged Government to avoid heavily taxing salaries, saying it would disadvantage the civil servants.

“If it is going to tax, it means it is going to reduce the amount which will not be good for the workers. We also expect the Government to increase our salaries so that they become competitive in the region,” he said.

“We expect the salary to move gradually towards the US$540 which was being given to us before October 1, 2018.”