Teachers Demand Urgent Pay Rise After Dramatic ZiG Fall
The Amalgamated Rural Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (ARTUZ) has urged the government to urgently review civil servants’ salaries in light of the official devaluation of the Zimbabwe Gold currency (ZiG) by over 40% against the US dollar.
On Friday, September 27, the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) adjusted the ZiG exchange rate from 14.1 ZiG per dollar to 24.3 ZiG per dollar.
In response to this development, ARTUZ said the ZiG component of public sector salaries should be automatically adjusted to reflect the devaluation, without requiring additional worker demands. ARTUZ said:
Mthuli Ncube and the employing authorities in government should not wait to be told that since ZIG has officially been devalued by 44% to the USD, the ZIG component of salaries should be automatically adjusted.
The success and stability of this Republic is on the shoulders of the workers. The government as the biggest employer should lead the way, prioritising the welfare of the workers.
Businessman Kuda Musasiwa criticised the government for paying civil servants at the ZiG13.5 exchange rate, only to subsequently devalue the ZiG to 25. He described this action as “not only immoral but criminal.”
The Mayor of Bulawayo, David Coltart, who is a long-time opposition politician, said the the “timing of the devaluation seems cynically calculated.” He posted on X:
Spare a thought for civil servants – paid just a few days ago and today the value of what is left in their bank accounts is almost slashed in half. The timing of the devaluation seems cynically calculated.
So much for this being “Zimbabwe Gold” – ZIG – when its value is going in the opposite direction to the actual gold price.
In any democracy, such catastrophic policy failure would end a government’s term of office. But we aren’t a democracy so those responsible continue with impunity.
The devaluation of the ZiG will result in local consumers experiencing diminished purchasing power, which may lead to a decline in living standards.
More: Pindula News
