Full statement by the Public Service Commission (PSC) chairman, Vincent Hungwe, in commemoration of the International Workers’ Day, also known as Labour Day, on Sunday, 01 May 2022.
WORKERS’ DAY MESSAGE – 1ST MAY 2022
The Chairman, Dr Vincent Hungwe, on behalf of Commissioners and the Secretariats of the Public Service Commission, the Defence Forces Service Commission, the Police Service Commission, the Prisons and Correctional Service Commission and the entire Civil Service, joins the nation in commemorating Workers’ Day.
As we shine the spotlight on workers, we are delighted to wish all workers well on this, their day.
As the largest employer in the country, we take this opportunity to appreciate our workers and to recommit ourselves, on behalf of Government, to creating a conducive work environment and to continuing to support our workers as best we can with monetary and non-monetary benefits that can improve their lives.
The challenges facing workers on account of pricing distortions in the marketplace require a constant search for creative solutions.
As we commit to the continuous improvement of our workers’ lives and livelihoods, Government has taken significant steps to address the needs of civil servants, including:
- Pay & Benefits Reform – where innovation around conditions of service has continued, with an expansion of the range of incentives that has seen the launch of the Government Employees Mutual Savings Fund, which promotes a culture of savings and wealth creation; the significant growth of the PSC bus fleet for ferrying workers to and from work; the resuscitation of the housing guarantee scheme; school fees and housing relief for teachers; the extension of the Motor Vehicle Import Rebate; and the transformation of the Government pension scheme from the ‘pay as you go’ approach that is prone to inflationary pressures to a sustainable, self-managed pension fund that generates dividends and ensures pensioners do not lose out regardless of the economic climate prevailing when they retire, as the benefits they will receive are both secure and defined.
- Human Capital Development – The Public Service Academy has launched programmes that help in skilling and reskilling the workforce into cadres fit for the role and purpose of propelling the nation towards the attainment of Vision 2030. The Academy has rolled out several essential courses which are being acknowledged by beneficiaries as “transformative, ground-breaking and empowering.”
- Amendments to Relevant Legislation – The amendment of the Public Service Act and the State Service Pensions
Act to better serve the interests of civil servants are at an advanced stage following consultations that were recently held with civil servants and other stakeholders.- Sexual Harassment Policy – Grey areas that impeded the application of regulations that should protect civil servants against sexual harassment in the workplace have been eliminated, with the recent approval by Cabinet of the Sexual Harassment Policy crafted by the Public Service Commission, and strengthened through consultation with a broad range of stakeholders and experts.
These initiatives are but illustrative examples of Government’s determined efforts to give traction to the imperative defined by His Excellency Dr Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa of a workforce that is capacitated, equipped and incentivised to deliver outputs, results and outcomes that bring Zimbabwe ever closer to the attainment of Vision 2030.
As we celebrate our valued workers, let us keep our eyes fixed on that glorious horizon.
We wish all of Zimbabwe’s Workers a happy Workers’ Day.
HAPPY WORKERS’ DAY!