Govt workers vow to strike

Indications are today’s meeting could fail to break the impasse as Public Service Minister Elpihas Mukonoweshuro and his Finance counterpart Tendai Biti have both pointed out that there is presently no money to improve conditions of service.

Civil servants want a salary in the region of US$500, which is in the range of the poverty datum line.
They are taking home around US$200 monthly and were last week offered a US$6 increment for the least paid worker.
Yesterday, Public Service Commission chairperson Dr Mariyawanda Nzuwah referred all questions to Minister Mukono-weshuro.
Minister Mukonoweshuro insisted: “There is no strike, there is a meeting.”

The audibly angry minister then told The Herald to stop bothering him and instead seek a comment from the Apex Council — the umbrella body representing State employees.
Apex chair Mrs Tendai Chikowore’s cellphone was not reachable.
The Zimbabwe Progressive Teachers Union of Zimbabwe, one of the trade bodies pressing for a strike, yesterday said a collective job action would go ahead if no agreement is reached with Government today.

“The decision to go on strike will be made in full consultation with our members. If we don’t get what we want from Government, a strike is inevitable,” PTUZ president Mr Raymond Majongwe said.
“We have not retreated on our earlier position. We should be rewarded by Government and if it fails then we don’t have any option but to proceed with a collective job action.”
After last week’s US$6 offer, unions gave the Government seven days to review the position or face a strike.
The seven days lapsed yesterday.

State employees have since appealed to President Mugabe to intervene after their meeting with Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai yielded nothing. The PM told them not to complain about salaries, a position unions said was “irresponsible” and the utterances of a “heartless politician”.
Civil servants’ representatives also said the PM should dismantle parallel government structures in his office and use the money being paid to his select group, who earn between US$700 and US$7 000, to ensure State workers get better salaries.