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Government and its employees are today expected to finalise salary negotiations that have been going on since last December. There are reports that government has offered the least paid worker $375 a month up from $296. The workers’ representatives are, however, said to have rejected the offer insisting that the least paid worker should earn $540 which is the Poverty Datum Line according to the Consumer Council of Zimbabwe.
Government has made a commitment to pay its workers salaries based on the PDL. Government as the biggest employer in the country has always set the benchmark and many companies are therefore looking up to government for guidelines regarding the issue of salaries review. What the government is offering translates to a 26 percent salary increase for the lowest paid worker.
We have said it before that government like any other employer has an obligation to see to it that it pays workers living wages. What is pleasing is that government has made a commitment to improve salaries and other working conditions for its workers hence the negotiations that are under way.
Government has said it will not only review salaries for its employees but will also introduce non-monetary incentives such as schemes to assist its employees get housing stands or houses.
In deciding to accept or reject the government salary adjustment offer, civil servants representatives should not overlook the non-monetary incentives. What has to be emphasised is that parties to a collective bargaining exercise usually have different positions but what is important at the end of the day is to come to an agreement.
It is a fact that civil servants have not been paid salaries commensurate with their qualifications since the introduction of the multi-currency system in 2009. It is this anomaly that government is trying to address. We have said it before that government can only retain skilled manpower if it pays attractive salaries.
It should be pointed out from the onset that whatever government decides to pay should be sustainable. It is a fact that our economy is not performing well hence the many measures put in place by government and the private sector to turn it around.
The government therefore finds itself in a very difficult position as it has to review the salaries of civil servants upwards at a time when the tax inflows which constitute the bulk of its revenue are dwindling. Most companies are operating below capacity and many of them are as a result finding it difficult to remit taxes.
What this boils down to is that government is receiving reduced revenue and as such cannot afford to pay very high salaries. We want at this juncture to appeal to civil servants representatives to be rational in their demands and come up with realistic salaries that are in tandem with the performance of the economy.
It serves no purpose for the government to award hefty salary increases it will not be able to pay. It is better to be paid reasonable salaries regularly than to go for months without being paid the hefty salaries.
What the government and its workers could agree on is phased adjustment of salaries whereby government makes an undertaking to review its workers’ salaries each time the economy improves. What is important today is for government and its workers to come to an agreement regarding the issue of salaries and as already stated, it is important for both parties to compromise on their positions.
The parties should both be prepared to move from their positions until they finally hammer out an agreement. We believe that the parties have been open to each other from the onset because for collective bargaining to succeed, both parties should negotiate in good faith.
We want to once again urge the government and its employees to find common ground so that civil servants can concentrate on their mandate to provide efficient services to the people.
Online Reporter