Civil servants prepares for a massive demonstration

Civil servants say government has demonstrated arrogance by its failure to address their salary adjustment concerns in Wednesday's Mid-Term Fiscal Policy Review and have said they will engage in a mass demonstration starting Tuesday next week.

The civil servants representative board, the Apex Council, says it rejects sentiments by the Minister of Finance that treasury has no money to review public service employees salaries.

Speaking during a meeting they convened in the capital to map the way forward on the issue concerning  failure by government to increase their basic salaries, the Apex Council Chairperson, Mrs Tendai Chikowore said they have resolved to register their concerns through massive demonstrations starting on Tuesday.

"Speaking on the same occasion, the various organisations that make up the Apex Council registered dismay at the way at which Minister Biti showed non-commitment in resolving the long standing salary dispute between them and their employer," said Mrs Chikowore.

Progressive Teachers Union of Zimbabwe Secretary General, Mr Raymond Majongwe and the Teachers Union of Zimbabwe Secretary General, Mr Manuel Nyawo together with other representatives said civil servants have taken enough insult from their employer whom they said seems to have forgotten their existence.

"We are tired, we need this issue to be resolved now or else government will have to put up with a massive demonstration….where is the money from the diamonds going, why are they driving flashy cars when the treasury is empty," they said.

In his mid-term budget announcement this Wednesday, Minister of Finance Tendai Biti said treasury has no money to review civil servants salaries.

The salary standoff between government and its workers started in January and various meetings between the Apex Council and the Public Service Ministry have yielded nothing but only slight adjustment for allowances.