Online Reporter
For most of the past 26 years, formal employment paid poorly.
The economic challenges made it difficult for employers to keep pace with inflation and currency decline, thus wages and salaries always lagged.
This was especially so in the civil service, with the private sector being the better employer.
However, the tables turned some three to five years ago. The Government now pays better than the private sector. Many private sector workers are seeking jobs in the civil service; lucky ones are getting them.
“Just to give some context around the architecture of the lowest-paid civil servant, you will find that it is US$320 and a ZiG equivalent of about US$40 or US$60,” we cited Deputy Finance Minister Kudakwashe Mnangagwa as saying yesterday.
“I will have to check those numbers. This puts all our civil servants from the lowest paid — the cleaner to the highest paid — above the poverty datum line. This is something we have strived over and over to achieve.
I will say that the private sector has actually been at the forefront of complaining that the Government is moving a bit too fast in increasing salaries. It might come as a surprise, but Government does pay better than the private sector at this current moment. So, while these discussions are ongoing between the employer and the employees, we will strive to ensure that our civil servants, particularly the lowest paid, are always above the poverty datum line.”
By paying its workers so decently, the Government is, indeed, demonstrating leadership; leading by example. We commend the Government for this commitment to the welfare of its workers.
In addition to the improved salaries, civil servants’ working conditions are, by and large, better than in the private sector, and jobs are generally more secure. Government workers have easier access to loans, off days, leave and so on.
Eligible ones enjoy duty-free importation of private vehicles of prescribed monetary value. Unlike at the height of the economic challenges, a civil servant now knows their pay day, and their salary is deposited into their bank account on that specific day.
The private sector must follow this example.
We know where we are coming from, a time when being a civil servant was effectively an insult due to the low salaries they were earning.
When ohwindi used to joke about how they were keen to employ degree-holding teachers to be their housemaids.
Now the hierarchy is restored, a teacher or nurse at a Government institution is a teacher or nurse; a hwindi is now in his place as a hwindi.
Improvement of civil servants’ working conditions is always work in progress, as the deputy minister indicated.
However, we want to quickly reach a stage whereupon the breadline will not be a factor in gauging the welfare of a civil servant.
We are sure that, considering the improving economic conditions, we will reach that stage very soon.
