Civil servants have accused Finance and Economic Development Minister, Mthuli Ncube, of taking them for fools after he allegedly reneged on his promise to increase their salaries in September.
Ncube promised to increase government workers’ salaries this month but this has not materialised.
Zimbabwe Confederation of Public Sector Trade Unions (ZCPSTU) secretary general, David Dzatsunga told Business Times on Wednesday that civil servants are failing to make ends meet. Dzatsunga said:
We had hoped that the finance minister would honour his promise to review our salaries this September.
But, with no increment, it’s now very difficult for us to make ends meet.
We are just wondering how on earth we are supposed to manage fees, and day-to-day life and be able to go to work.
Now that the majority of the civil servants have received their salaries and there is no increment it shows that we were given a basket to carry water.
This is an utter lack of respect for all the government workers as we were planning in line with the increment.
Civil service union leaders were expected to meet on Friday to discuss their plight and map the way forward.
A police officer who declined to have his identity revealed told Business Times that his net salary for September after pension and medical aid deductions was ZWL$42 250. Said the police officer:
It’s a nightmare for me as I expected to surpass the ZWL$80 000 mark this month.
I don’t know what I am going to do with this ZWL$42 000 and how I will pull through next month.
In a meeting with civil servants on 1 August this year, Ncube revealed there was a possibility of a salary adjustment. He said:
The government will, however, review the situation in September to see if there is a scope to increase the US$ as well as the ZWL components premised on revenue inflows.