News / National
Civil servants abuse overtime allowances and leave days
12 Nov 2015 at 07:34hrs | Views
Government civil service audit has revealed widespread abuse of overtime allowances and leave days, salary fraud, idle manpower, role duplication and uncoordinated staff recruitment.
The Audit Report which is said to be complete recommends centralised staff recruitment, merging some departments, streamlining roles and functions of remaining departments and cutting salary support to grant-aided institutions.
It also said leave days will be monitored and anyone linked to salary fraud will be disciplined.
In the first half of 2015, Treasury spent $1,54 billion on labour costs against revenue of $1,718 billion.
Monthly, $120 million is spent on salaries, with the least-paid taking home about $380.
Government has 188 070 workers, excluding the uniformed forces and Health Services Board personnel.
In October, Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare deputy minister Tapiwa Matangaidze claimed in Parliament that there are no ghost workers in the civil service despite numerous reports that thousands of mostly Zanu PF youths are being paid by the government for doing nothing.
This was in contrast to the results of an audit conducted in 2011 which revealed that the State's payroll was overstaffed by over 75 000 ghost workers who were supposed to be axed as the wage bill had become unsustainable, with Treasury increasingly battling to pay civil servants and pensioners.
Most of the ghost workers were reportedly unqualified Zanu PF militias and supporters.
They were allegedly unearthed in the civil service through a comprehensive payroll and skills audit done by Ernst & Young (India) on behalf of the Public Service ministry in 2011.
The ghost workers included 6 861 employed in one day in a single ministry.
The Audit Report which is said to be complete recommends centralised staff recruitment, merging some departments, streamlining roles and functions of remaining departments and cutting salary support to grant-aided institutions.
It also said leave days will be monitored and anyone linked to salary fraud will be disciplined.
In the first half of 2015, Treasury spent $1,54 billion on labour costs against revenue of $1,718 billion.
Monthly, $120 million is spent on salaries, with the least-paid taking home about $380.
In October, Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare deputy minister Tapiwa Matangaidze claimed in Parliament that there are no ghost workers in the civil service despite numerous reports that thousands of mostly Zanu PF youths are being paid by the government for doing nothing.
This was in contrast to the results of an audit conducted in 2011 which revealed that the State's payroll was overstaffed by over 75 000 ghost workers who were supposed to be axed as the wage bill had become unsustainable, with Treasury increasingly battling to pay civil servants and pensioners.
Most of the ghost workers were reportedly unqualified Zanu PF militias and supporters.
They were allegedly unearthed in the civil service through a comprehensive payroll and skills audit done by Ernst & Young (India) on behalf of the Public Service ministry in 2011.
The ghost workers included 6 861 employed in one day in a single ministry.
Source - Chronicle
