'Don't fool us,' Mugabe tells Chinamasa, Nzuwa

President Robert Mugabe on Friday told Finance minister Patrick Chinamasa and Public Service Commission (PSC) chairperson Mariyawanda Nzuwah to honour their commitment to award civil servants a pay rise on April 1.

Speaking at a belated 90th birthday luncheon organised by PSC, Mugabe said it was  his wish to have all public servants adequately compensated and that the promise would be honoured.

"It is, however, just a technical delay in the mobilisation of the monies, but the promise will be honoured. Takapromiswa kuti April ndopaichauya. Ndaiti kuna vaMariyawanda ivava ndovanowirirana naVaChinanamasa zvino vakati tichakubhadharai (We were promised by Nzuwa and Chinamasa that we will get salary increment in April), naPresident wese is a worker also. 1st of April, don't fool us on that day," Mugabe said.  

"I want to assure you of my support for the improvement of your conditions of service. It is our wish, as government, to have all our workers adequately compensated for their hard work."

Government last month failed to honour its commitment to civil servants that they would get their salary increment backdated to January.

After lengthy salary negotiations between the government and civil servants unions last month, the state offered civil servants a $54 salary increment would see the lowest paid employee earning $375.

Civil servants had, however, demanded that the lowest civil servant gets $540 monthly.

Meanwhile, economists were of the view that a salary increment was not feasible unless government finds attainable means to grow revenue streams.

Chinamasa announced in the 2014 national budget that government was committed to paying civil servants salaries that are commensurate with the Poverty Datum Line (PDL).

The latest PDL as measured by the Zimbabwe Statistics Agency stands at $540 per month for a family of six.

Civil servants representative boards are demanding a 100% salary hike for their members, which if effected, would take the annual salary bill to $5,2 billion for the 230 000 civil servants.

Zimbabwe's wage bill consumes over 75% of government's total expenditure.