Civil servants’ representatives have rejected a Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) offer presented by the government during a National Joint Negotiating Council (NJNC) meeting on Friday, September 20.
The Zimbabwe Confederation of Public Sector Trade Unions (ZCPSTU) initially met with government officials on September 11, where the government proposed an offer that was subsequently rejected by civil servants.
It was agreed that the government negotiators would consult their principals and report back at the next NJNC meeting.
However, when the negotiating team returned on Friday, they brought back the same offer that had already been declined, resulting in a deadlock in the discussions.
In a statement issued on September 20, ZCPSTU said that they have decided to escalate the matter to higher authorities for further engagement.
However, ZCPSTU did not disclose any details regarding the government’s offer, including the amount and whether it was in Zimbabwean dollars (ZiG) or US dollars (USD).
Currently, most civil servants earn just over US$300 before deductions, along with approximately ZiG$2,000.
Below is the statement from ZCPSTU:
The National Joint Negotiating Council (NJNC) met on the 20th of September 2024 at Kaguvi building, Harare to discuss on the feedback of the consultations made by the Government team of negotiators from their principals.
On the previous meeting which was held on the 11th of September 2024, the Government had brought an offer which we did not accept.
In today’s meeting, the Government maintained its intial offer.
In light of the above, ZCPSTU would want to inform its stakeholders that it has not accepted the offer and urged the Government to improve the envelope.
It has also made a resolution to take the matter with higher offices for further engagement.
Meanwhile, the Amalgamated Rural Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (ARTUZ) has criticised ZCPSTU for allegedly negotiating in bad faith and betraying the interests of civil servants.ARTUZ said:
NJNC Salary negotiations are a bedroom affair between the government and a bunch of handpicked love birds of the ruling elites.
They can spend months talking to each other without consulting those they pretend to represent and without giving any concrete feedback.
We continue to call for the establishment of a genuine Collective Bargaining Council in line with s 203 (1) (b) read with s 65 (5) of the constitution.
Civil servants have a right to a fair wage birthed from genuine Collective Bargaining.
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