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Government and civil servants meet again today for another round of talks centred on payment of this month’s salaries. The Government has since last month been engaging civil servants to explain delays in the payment of their salaries. The payment of June salaries had to be staggered after government failed to mobilise adequate resources to pay all civil servants before the end of the month. Teachers, uniformed forces and health workers have since been paid their June salaries while the rest of civil servants are expected to be paid on Thursday.
It is against this background that Government is meeting its employees to explain the challenges it is facing and probably find the best way forward. President Mugabe on Friday urged civil servants to be patient and resilient as government works out modalities to address the challenge of delays in paying salaries.
The President said government remains committed to paying civil servants salaries hence the need for civil servants to be patient when salaries are delayed. He, however, said the delays in paying salaries was temporary and a solution will soon to be found.
President Mugabe said it had to be appreciated that the country is still under sanctions imposed by the US, Britain and their allies hence the economic challenges facing the country. He said Zimbabwe was using the US dollar and as such had no control over its printing. Apex council chairperson Mrs Cecilia Alexander speaking ahead of today’s meeting said as workers’ representatives, they would press for the adjustment of June salaries for the rest of the civil servants who are supposed to be paid on Thursday.
She said they want the pay dates to be brought forward. Mrs Alexander said the workers’ position was that July salaries must be paid before the end of the month. What the workers are saying is that government which failed to mobilise adequate resources to pay June salaries in the last six weeks, should mobilise adequate resources in just two weeks to pay the July salaries.
Government, as already stated, failed to mobilise adequate resources to pay all civil servants their salaries before the end of June and it is therefore not feasible to mobilise adequate resources to pay all civil servants before the end of this month. It is our fervent hope that reason will prevail as government and its employees meet today.
The issue of inadequate resources cannot be addressed overnight and as such civil servants should heed the President’s call for them to be patient while a solution is being worked out. The failure by government to mobilise adequate resources to pay salaries is a reflection of the performance of the economy and all efforts are being directed to turnaround the economy.
Government has since last year been working flat out to make the country an investment destination of choice. It is only when the country starts attracting investors that the economy can start to grow and revenue inflows into government coffers will correspondingly improve.
We want to once again call on the workers’ representatives and government to find the best practical way forward and avoid what happened last week. Downing tools is not the solution because it just worsens an already bad situation.
Online Reporter