Civil servants have rejected a US$25 increment offered by the government and are instead pushing for more.
The government recently offered a US$25 increment to public sector employees to give a total of US$200 during the last National Joint Negotiating Council (NJNC) meeting.
However, Apex Council secretary David Dzatsunga told Business Times that the NJNC should be disbanded and replaced with a body that allows genuine dialogue. Said Dzatsunga:
The government offered a US$25 without workers’ consultation and the workers have rejected that amount describing the increment as too little.
Dialogue is still ongoing as we are still expecting the government representatives.
The government is promising to pay US$200 in October but it has not attended to the ZWL component which has remained static.
The medical aid covers, funeral policies and other levies have increased in ZWL$ at a time the local currency remained static and this has left the amount eroded.
If they had been on CBC [Collective Bargaining Chamber] we would have negotiated for the increase of both components but because it is NJNC the government has the upper hand and is dictating the pace.
Dzatsunga said wages in local currency remained static while the RTGS has depreciated and needs an urgent increment.
Meanwhile, the lowest-paid civil servant is getting ZWL$36 000 per month.
Government workers are demanding a pre-October 2018 salary level of US$540 a month.
This comes as the country’s cost of living for a family of six rose by 263% to ZWL$274 858.75 in the month of August from ZWL$75 757.62 in January.