Zimbabwe civil servants promises come to nothing

Government promises of pay rises and improved conditions for Public Servants in Zimbabwe have not been kept with the two main Ministers claiming the country can't afford them.

Minister for Finance, Tendai Biti said the Government did not have capacity to raise the PS salaries as promised.

Minister for the Public Service, Eliphas Mukonoweshuro said the Government would also be unable to introduce promised non-monetary incentives because it was broke.

Mr Mukonoweshuro had promised incentives such as a housing loan guarantee scheme, mobility scheme (revolving car loans) and a pension fund for Public Servants.

However, he said the new plan was for some financial institutions agreeing to assist Public Servants with non-monetary incentives not guaranteed by the Government.

Mr Mukonoweshuro said he had no doubt the loans would be made available to workers as soon as resources allowed.

Mr Biti said a Public Service audit had unearthed the existence of 13,000 ghost workers who should be struck off the Government payroll.

He said an additional 62,000 Government workers had been found to have unclear positions and their status in the Public Service needed to be verified.

President Robert Mugabe had promised Public Servants a significant salary increase in June this year.

President Mugabe said workers should expect an increase of about 100 per cent of the current earnings. The least-paid State worker is taking home about $US130 ($A119).

There was no better news on the pension fund, with Chair of the Public Service Commission, Mariyawanda Nzuwa saying the Government had yet to establish the scheme.