The Amalgamated Rural Teachers’ Union of Zimbabwe (ARTUZ) has criticised the government for declaring that future end-of-year bonuses will be performance-based – starting this year.
Zimbabwe’s 350 000 civil servants have been paid a blanket end-of-year bonus all along.
Speaking to ZimLive, ARTUZ president Obert Masaraure expressed fear that the performance management system may be abused. He said:
Performance appraisals should be an ongoing process which should never be weaponised in an attempt to prejudice workers.
All civil servants have legitimate expectations to receive bonuses. We have consulted teachers and we are advised that most teachers never sat down with the supervisors to set realistic goals. At the end of the day, appraisal forms are going to be ‘cooked.
Government workers have since 2019 embarked on periodic industrial action demanding restoration of their pre-October 2018 salaries which were around US$540.
While chose to “go slow,” some were not even showing up for work citing incapacitation.
The adoption of the new performance appraisal might be a coercive tool to ensure that workers do not engage in protests.