Civil Servants' Representatives Welcome USD Pay Rise
Civil servants’ representatives have expressed satisfaction with the new salary offer tabled by the Government during a National Joint Negotiating Council (NJNC) held on Thursday.
During the negotiations, the Government offered to raise civil servants’ salaries to US$320, up from US$300, and indexing the Zimbabwe dollar component to the prevailing official exchange rate.
Zimbabwe Confederation of Public Sector Trade Unions president Cecilia Alexander commended the Government for making the adjustments. She said:
We had a fruitful meeting with the employer. Indexation of the local currency component to the prevailing exchange rate is a testimony that the Government is now committed to keeping the value of the worker’s salary.
On top of that, a raise to US$320 is a positive move towards what we want.
However, from what we agreed, we will be sitting soon so that we iron out what is left out because our position is to ensure that the employer raises the salary to afford the worker a decent lifestyle, affording all the basics.
The NJNC is expected to meet again in April to chart the way forward.
Alexander said they were pushing for the latest adjustment to be backdated to January this year. She said:
We want to push for a backdated payment to January 1, 2024, so that the employees recover what was lost for the past months due to inflation.
For now, the employer cited that it is still the start of the year and revenues are still low but promised to improve the salaries in line with our requests.
Meanwhile, teacher unions have criticized civil servants’ negotiators for accepting what they deem a “paltry offer” which they said falls short of addressing their financial hardships.
Amalgamated Rural Teachers of Zimbabwe president Obert Masaraure singled out Alexander (pictured) for criticism. He said:
Government is offering a paltry US$20 as an increment. This is pathetic because at this time, teachers were waiting for a genuine review of their salaries and government gave this token.
What is more surprising is that those people who call themselves negotiators as led by one Cecilia Alexander will try to play Public Relations for the employer, but we know that she is an imposter; she does not have a mandate from anyone to be a negotiator at the table.
Government has been renewing its team of negotiators but the team from the civil servants’ side is never renewed.
Alexander is now a lifetime negotiator for civil servants and always brings back rotten deals and has taken into her armpits a bunch of greedy individuals who want to benefit from lying that they represent us.
We are glad that as the Federation of Zimbabwe Educators Unions, there is consensus that we are rejecting the paltry increment and we demand a US$1 260 as the minimum salary for a teacher and there is no time to be issuing threats.
We are on the ground right now finalising a solid mass action that is coming soon to force the government to meet our demand.
Progressive Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (PTUZ) secretary-general Raymond Majongwe concurred with Masaraure, adding that cases of suicides, drug abuse, sudden deaths, stress and divorces have tremendously increased among teachers as a result.
More: Pindula News
