No mid-year salary hike for civil servants

Government has no capacity to review upwards civil servants' salaries this month as committed to early this year, The Zimbabwe Mail reported.

Senior members of the Apex Council, a body that represents civil servants in salary negotiations with government at the National Joint Negotiating Forum (NJNF), said the state was, instead, offering non-monetary incentives such as provision of residential stands, among other things, "to boost their morale".

When government offered a $79 increment for the lowest paid civil servant in February, workers were also promised a salary review by this month, with President Robert Mugabe putting his weight behind the commitment during a televised interview to celebrate his 90th birthday.

David Dzatsunga, president of College Lecturers of Zimbabwe (Colaz), and an Apex Council member, said civil servants must brace themselves for tough times during the remainder of the year as government had stressed it was in the red.

"We had a NJNC meeting on June 20 where government representatives boldly insisted that there would be no salary review as earlier on promised in the February agreement," Dzatsunga said on Thursday.

"Government, instead, offered non-monetary incentives such as provision of residential stands and scrapping of duty on car-imports through the stillborn Civil Servants Investment Trust (CSIT).

"It is a very difficult time for civil servants because it is now clear there will not be any salary reviews this year. Honestly, as Apex Council, we need to restrategise . . . I do not know how best we will move forward."

CSIT is a body mooted by government and was supposed to facilitate civil servants to acquire shares in indigenised companies.

Apex Council deputy president Cecilia Alexander also confirmed that government had revealed it was financially incapacitated to offer a wage review this month.

"It is true that government told us it had no money to give effect to the promised salary review this month as they were even struggling to raise current salaries," Alexander said. ‘We told them it is high time they consider offering us non-monetary benefits such as residential stands as per their promise. It is a sad development for civil servants, but we will continue to engage government because negotiating is a continuous process."

Raymond Majongwe, who represents Progressive Teachers Union of Zimbabwe in the Apex Council, said the government workers' leadership was to blame for the situation.

"It true that government told us it has no capacity to pay us increments mid-term. That is a very sad development taking into consideration that parliamentarians got luxurious vehicles, while some embarked on shameful trips to China," he said.

"I think when the time comes we have to regroup as Apex Council and confront government. My view is that Apex is to blame as we slept on the wheel."

Efforts to get a comment from Public Service minister Nicholas Goche were in vain last night.

Zimbabwe's cash-strapped government has, in the last few months, been forced to push forward pay-dates for government workers.

The economy has been hit by a serious liquidity crunch since mid-last year.