News / National
Civil servants spared job cuts
03 Oct 2015 at 09:38hrs | Views
The government has no plans to retrench its employees but intends to reduce the civil service wage bill through growing the economy, Finance and Economic Development Minister Patrick Chinamasa assured Parliamentarians. He said the government would also carry out an audit of the whole civil service establishment to uproot ghost workers.
He said this in the Senate on Thursday during a Questions Without Notice session while responding to MDC-T senator for Manicaland, David Chimhini who sought to know how the government intended to reduce the wage bill from 85 percent to about 40 percent without retrenching.
Said Minister Chinamasa: "A few weeks ago, we conducted an audit for the pensioners to establish the strength of our pensioners so as to ensure that we eliminate those that are receiving payment when they are deceased, because in terms of the Pension Fund, you are not entitled to a pension fund if you are deceased although your remaining spouse and children are entitled to a reduced fund.
"We're not going to be chasing away or sacking anyone. I don't know where that is coming from, but if you are a ghost worker, then you are not there. You should not be receiving a salary because you are not entitled to it since you are not working. Those that are working, are not going to be sacked."
The minister said the status quo was unsustainable where 85 percent of the country's total revenue went to salaries.
He said as a result, the government was unable to fund capital projects.
"It's my hope that we will be able to do what we can do within our means to reduce the wage bill so that we can be able to remain with funds for the construction of schools, roads, clinics and other operations. This cannot be done overnight.
"As I earlier on said, it is my intention that we reduce the wage bill from 85 percent to 40 percent, this is a process and not an event. We know that for a long time, we will be dealing with that and I will reduce the wage bill gradually.
"The steps that we are going to take to reduce the wage bill are that firstly, we must ensure that our economy grows. Once there is a growth in the economy, then our wages will be a very small proportion of the bigger cake, that is the other method.
"That is the line of thinking that we are using with a view to reduce the workers wage bill. There is no mandatory issue as regards the reduction of the civil servants salaries," said Minister Chinamasa. He said the other alternative was to increase efficiency in the civil service.
Minister Chinamasa said it was, however, important to first establish and uproot ghost workers throughout the civil service establishment. A civil service audit in the education sector recently picked irregularities where some civil servants were drawing salaries without setting foot at their workstations, while several schools, especially in rural areas, were manned by two headmasters and close way before official dates.
It also established that some people who left the civil service years ago are still drawing salaries, while some go on leave without signing any documents.
He said this in the Senate on Thursday during a Questions Without Notice session while responding to MDC-T senator for Manicaland, David Chimhini who sought to know how the government intended to reduce the wage bill from 85 percent to about 40 percent without retrenching.
Said Minister Chinamasa: "A few weeks ago, we conducted an audit for the pensioners to establish the strength of our pensioners so as to ensure that we eliminate those that are receiving payment when they are deceased, because in terms of the Pension Fund, you are not entitled to a pension fund if you are deceased although your remaining spouse and children are entitled to a reduced fund.
"We're not going to be chasing away or sacking anyone. I don't know where that is coming from, but if you are a ghost worker, then you are not there. You should not be receiving a salary because you are not entitled to it since you are not working. Those that are working, are not going to be sacked."
The minister said the status quo was unsustainable where 85 percent of the country's total revenue went to salaries.
He said as a result, the government was unable to fund capital projects.
"It's my hope that we will be able to do what we can do within our means to reduce the wage bill so that we can be able to remain with funds for the construction of schools, roads, clinics and other operations. This cannot be done overnight.
"As I earlier on said, it is my intention that we reduce the wage bill from 85 percent to 40 percent, this is a process and not an event. We know that for a long time, we will be dealing with that and I will reduce the wage bill gradually.
"The steps that we are going to take to reduce the wage bill are that firstly, we must ensure that our economy grows. Once there is a growth in the economy, then our wages will be a very small proportion of the bigger cake, that is the other method.
"That is the line of thinking that we are using with a view to reduce the workers wage bill. There is no mandatory issue as regards the reduction of the civil servants salaries," said Minister Chinamasa. He said the other alternative was to increase efficiency in the civil service.
Minister Chinamasa said it was, however, important to first establish and uproot ghost workers throughout the civil service establishment. A civil service audit in the education sector recently picked irregularities where some civil servants were drawing salaries without setting foot at their workstations, while several schools, especially in rural areas, were manned by two headmasters and close way before official dates.
It also established that some people who left the civil service years ago are still drawing salaries, while some go on leave without signing any documents.
Source - chronicle
