marble nkomo
Rumbidzayi Zinyuke, [email protected]
CIVIL Servants have been urged to remain patient as the Government prepares to review their salaries and improve working conditions next month, in response to rising cost of living pressures.
In a post on his X handle yesterday, Deputy Chief Secretary in the Office of the President and Cabinet responsible for Presidential Communications, Mr George Charamba, said the Government was fully aware of the economic challenges facing civil servants, particularly those in the health sector, and was working on measures to cushion them.
“Good tidings are coming both on the fuel front and salaries for civil servants. Government is fully aware of the pressures its workforce faces, particularly in the wake of disturbances in the Middle East. A review of wages and salaries was due anyway; it is coming, certainly by this April,” he posted.
Rising global energy prices, driven largely by the United States-Israel war against Iran, have pushed up transport costs, food prices and other basic commodities, eroding civil servants’ purchasing power.
Health sector workers, who play a critical role in public service delivery, have been calling for a salary review that reflects current economic realities. Yesterday, nurses at Sally Mugabe Central Hospital staged a brief demonstration within the hospital grounds to underscore the urgency of their concerns.
The Zimbabwe Nurses Association (Zina) Harare provincial organising secretary, Mr Kumbirai Maresva, said the action did not constitute a formal strike but was an effort by workers to engage authorities.
“This was not a strike; they just wanted an audience with authorities to get their grievances heard,” he said.
Mr Maresva said nurses were struggling with soaring transport costs, with some spending at least US$3 daily to commute to work.
Engagements between nurses and their employer have been ongoing since last year, but progress has been delayed pending the outcome of a job evaluation exercise by the Health Service Commission (HSC).
Key concerns include low night duty allowances and calls for the Central Hospital allowance to be reviewed to reflect the high workload at major referral institutions.
“Sally Mugabe is a hospital for everyone, so we see people from across the country. The Children’s Hospital here receives so many patients from all over, even some who are supposed to go to other referral hospitals,” he said, explaining the basis for seeking a review of allowances and salaries.
Sally Mugabe Hospital secretary general, Mr Belcred Matsiwe, said nurses had returned to their duties while awaiting a response from the employer.
“What we have agreed is that we will not stop coming to work; we are not going to strike, but we just want to be heard. Everyone will be coming to work from 7am to 4pm,” he said.
The HSC’s job evaluation exercise is expected to reassess grades, salaries and allowances across the health sector and guide forthcoming adjustments to conditions of service.
Acting HSC secretary, Ms Nornah Zhou, said they were actively addressing concerns raised by health workers.
“The Commission wishes to assure health workers and the public that the Government is seized with these matters and is addressing them with urgency and commitment. A comprehensive job evaluation exercise has been completed and is now at the implementation stage. This critical process will establish a fair, transparent, and equitable grading structure across the health sector. It is being aligned with the broader civil service salary review to ensure coherence, sustainability, and improved remuneration frameworks,” she said.
Ms Zhou said the HSC remained committed to structured engagement with health workers and their representatives.
“The Commission is confident that the measures being implemented will yield tangible improvements in conditions of service within the shortest possible time,” she said.
Online Reporter