Civil servants slam pay delay

CIVIL servants unions yesterday demanded an urgent meeting with the government, furious after a promised pay increase was delayed.

The cash-strapped government courted the ire of public sector workers when it said they would only get their increment in April, not this month, citing cash flow problems.

Angry unions convened a meeting yesterday and demanded urgent talks with government through the National Joint Negotiation Council (NJNC).

Progressive Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (PTUZ), secretary general Raymond Majongwe said they want to meet the government on Monday to express their dismay.

"We had a meeting as unions representing public workers under the Apex Council and we were not happy with government's shifting of goal posts on the issue of effecting the salary increase," Majongwe said.

"We therefore resolved that we should meet government on Monday so that they address us under the NJNC."

He said the bombshell announcement by Finance Minister Patrick Chinamasa that their pay increases had been pushed back "creates serious challenges for our membership who had already put that money in their February budget."

Zimbabwe Teachers Association (Zimta) chief executive officer, Sifiso Ndlovu said: "While there is a glaring reality that the government is incapacitated, we feel that the development has eroded the confidence the civil servants had over the salary settlement.

"This is a serious disappointment and for the government to come at the eleventh hour, telling us of such a development, is disappointing.

"They failed to consult us in time and we now want this issue to be brought to a discussion between our technical team and the government."

Ndlovu said should Monday's meeting fail to bear fruit, civil servants would then seek advice from members on how best the issue could be addressed - raising the spectre of job walk-outs.

College Lecturers Association of Zimbabwe president David Dzatsunga said during yesterday's meeting, proposals were made to have some workers being paid next month and the rest getting their increments in April. The unions however, disagreed on the proposal, he said.

Government and civil servants last month agreed on a salary deal to award its workers a pay increase in line with the Poverty Datum  Line.

This will see the civil service wage bill for the nearly 230,000 workers increasing by $13 million to $155 million per month.

The new salary structure will result in the lowest paid civil servant in Grade B1 getting $375, up from $297.

Government has said another review was expected mid-year, while the implementation of non-monetary and indigenisation benefits will be discussed at the end of this month.

Finance and Economic Development Minister Patrick Chinamasa and his Public Service counterpart Nicholas Goche on Tuesday night met public sector unions to plead for more time.

The new adjustments were effected on the basic salary only. Transport ($66) and housing ($91) allowances remained unchanged. Those in Grade D1, such as teachers straight out of college, will get $500 up from $446, while those in EI such as deputy directors would be paid $623.

Workers were demanding $543 as the minimum pay and 30 percent of basic salary as rural allowance, but this remained unchanged at five percent.

Under the deal, the government also agreed to mobilise an additional $3 million every month for the decompression of salary grades, a move that would see the workers being paid according to seniority, qualifications and experience.