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Mnangagwa's govt engages workers in crucial meeting
07 Jan 2019 at 20:11hrs | Views
Members of the Apex Council, which brings together unions in the civil service, will today meet representatives of government in a crucial meeting that will discuss civil servants' working conditions and their remuneration.
While the Apex Council has agreed to meet its employer today, its leadership is adamant that government should fulfil its demand to be paid in foreign currency or face the heat as the civil servants down tools.
Apex Council acting president Thomas Muzondo told the Daily News yesterday that they expect government to provide solutions to the multiplicity of challenges facing them.
He said their employer should also call for an urgent meeting of the National Joint Negotiating Council (NJNC) after its meeting of December 7, 2018 was abandoned because government was clueless on how to address its demands.
"Civil servants will not return to work as long as they are incapacitated due to meagre salaries being received in the form of Real Time Gross Settlement (RTGS) payments when goods and services in the country are being charged in United States dollars (USDs)," he said.
Last Friday, acting Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare minister July Moyo called a meeting between government and representatives of public service staff associations scheduled for today.
The meeting will take place in Harare at 1000hrs at NSSA Building.
"This meeting is part of the commitment of government to engage with all its employees in pursuit of developing common positions in relation to the improvement of employee salaries and generally resolve any matters that impact their conditions of service," Moyo said in a statement.
Invitations were extended to members of the Apex Council and all registered public service staff associations.
Government will be represented by the acting Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare minister; Finance and Economic Development minister Mthuli Ncube; Primary and Secondary Education minister Paul Mavima; Higher and Tertiary Education, Science and Technology Development minister Amon Murwira and the Public Service Commission chairperson Vincent Hungwe.
Zimbabwe Teachers Association (Zimta) secretary-general Tapson Sibanda yesterday said teachers have resolved not to return to work on school opening tomorrow as they are incapacitated and have no means of getting to their work stations.
"Come school opening, we are not going back until we are paid in USDs," Sibanda said.
He added that the union will indeed attend today's meeting although it does not have high expectations on the outcome of the indaba.
While the Apex Council has agreed to meet its employer today, its leadership is adamant that government should fulfil its demand to be paid in foreign currency or face the heat as the civil servants down tools.
Apex Council acting president Thomas Muzondo told the Daily News yesterday that they expect government to provide solutions to the multiplicity of challenges facing them.
He said their employer should also call for an urgent meeting of the National Joint Negotiating Council (NJNC) after its meeting of December 7, 2018 was abandoned because government was clueless on how to address its demands.
"Civil servants will not return to work as long as they are incapacitated due to meagre salaries being received in the form of Real Time Gross Settlement (RTGS) payments when goods and services in the country are being charged in United States dollars (USDs)," he said.
Last Friday, acting Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare minister July Moyo called a meeting between government and representatives of public service staff associations scheduled for today.
"This meeting is part of the commitment of government to engage with all its employees in pursuit of developing common positions in relation to the improvement of employee salaries and generally resolve any matters that impact their conditions of service," Moyo said in a statement.
Invitations were extended to members of the Apex Council and all registered public service staff associations.
Government will be represented by the acting Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare minister; Finance and Economic Development minister Mthuli Ncube; Primary and Secondary Education minister Paul Mavima; Higher and Tertiary Education, Science and Technology Development minister Amon Murwira and the Public Service Commission chairperson Vincent Hungwe.
Zimbabwe Teachers Association (Zimta) secretary-general Tapson Sibanda yesterday said teachers have resolved not to return to work on school opening tomorrow as they are incapacitated and have no means of getting to their work stations.
"Come school opening, we are not going back until we are paid in USDs," Sibanda said.
He added that the union will indeed attend today's meeting although it does not have high expectations on the outcome of the indaba.
Source - dailynews
