Civil servants salary increments being manipulated by Zanu-PF: John Robertson

Economist John Robertson said the question of increased civil service pay is being manipulated by President Robert Mugabe's ZANU-PF to embarrass Finance Minister Tendai Biti of Mr. Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change wing.

Robertson noted that government officials on the Joint Negotiating Council did not make the pay agreement public as they are aware that the government does not have the revenues to support a public sector raise. He warned that Zimbabwe will plunge into a financial crisis if Harare increases civil servant salaries at this point.

With the encouragement of the International Monetary Fund, Biti had been holding the line on public sector pay, warning that increases would bust the budget.

Treasury sources said they were stunned by the announcement as there is no source of funding for the salary increases. "The whole negotiation process is being circumvented by Zanu-PF in order to stop the finance minister from getting rid of 75,000 ghost workers and as it is right now we do know what to do," said one such source.

Biti has stated that civil service salaries cannot be increased until more is known about the disposition of revenues from the controversial Marange diamond field, and until the estimated 75,000 non-working civil servants are purged from state payrolls. Many of them are youth militia engaged by the previous Mugabe government.