adminmeant to divide them.
The Zimbabwe Law Officers Association vowed to continue with the industrial action.
The prosecutors, who appear to be technically in a transitional dilemma, described the offer as a typical “divide and rule tactic” calculated at ending the strike.
Four months ago, the President assented to the Attorney General’s Office Act, which provides for composition of a board that deals with issues affecting prosecutors as well as recruitment of staff.
The board is yet to be appointed. The new Act removes prosecutors from the employ of the Public Service Commission.
Principal law officers and prosecutors in Grade One who were offered the allowance number only 54 out of a membership of 225.
ZILOA rejected the offer and vowed not to end the strike until its demands were met.
ZILOA executive members led by the president Mr Leopold Mudisi, immediately marched to the Public Service Commission with a petition for an urgent review of their salaries.
They argue that their salaries should be equated to those of magistrates who now fall under the Judicial Service Commission.
The prosecutors argued that principal law officers constituted a smaller percentage of the striking court officials. Justice and Legal Affairs human resources director, Mr Maxwell Ranga, wrote a letter communicating the latest development.
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“The Public Service Commission with treasury’s concurrency has approved the payment of representation allowance at the rate of US$156 per month with effect from October 1, 2011,” the letter read.
Mr Mudisi read the letter to the striking officers.
In an interview, Mr Mudisi said the US$156 was not what the law officers had gone on strike for.
“That is clearly a divide and rule tactic by PSC. Only 54 law officers out of 225 would benefit from that allowance. We are going ahead with the strike and there is no going back,” said Mr Mudisi.
A principal law officer who was part of the crowd said the allowance was supposed to be backdated to July.
The prosecutors who were dressed in the Attorney General’s Office T-shirts assembled at the Central Avenue entrance to the New Government Complex around 8am and dispersed around 12 noon.
“Law officers and prosecutors are well aware of the position that they belong to PSC and their counterparts belong to JSC as a reason for these discrepancies, but that is not a reason enough to justify any salary discrepancies.
“All prosecutors and law officers will reject any possible suggestion to end this impasse other than having their salaries and remuneration equaled.
“We demand an early solution to facilitate a quick end to this disruptive industrial action. We have resolved not to go back to work until we are fully addressed and fully paid with our salaries and allowances backdated to July 1, 2011,” the petition reads.
Justice and Legal Affairs Deputy Minister Obert Gutu on Tuesday told The Herald that the prosecutors were still in a transitional phase but urged the PSC to attend to their concerns pending the establishment of the AG’s Office Board.
“For your own information, the prosecutors fall under the Office of the AG. In terms of the AG Act that was recently gazetted, that office is now an independent office.
“According to the new Act, there should be the AG’s Office Board that should be responsible for salaries, recruitment and other issues affecting prosecutors and law officers.
“The board is not yet there, but it will soon be set up. So technically the prosecutors are in a transitory phase and according to the law their concerns should be addressed to the AG’s Office Board,” he said.
Deputy Minister Gutu said the ministry would play its part by pushing for the urgent setting up of the board.
“We will assist by expediting the composition of the board so that the prosecutors’ concerns would be addressed by the right office in terms of the law. In the meantime, I encourage the PSC to assist in handling the
prosecutors’ grievances during this transitional phase to ensure the wheels of justice continue to roll,” he said.
Prosecutors yesterday entered their second day of strike with most courts countrywide being paralysed.
The increment saw most magistrates getting around US$700 monthly but prosecutors said they receive between US$253 and US$300. Prosecutors argue that they hold the same qualifications with the magistrates and that their salaries came from the treasury.
Bongani Ndlovu