For the second consecutive month, the government has failed to pay its employees, including teachers, their salaries on time.
Some civil servants who were expecting their payments this week have yet to receive their salaries.
In November, delays in salary disbursements were already evident, with some teachers and other government workers receiving late payments in Zimbabwe Gold (ZiG), and bonuses were also delayed.
On Wednesday, the Amalgamated Rural Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (ARTUZ) said the delayed salaries are insufficient to cover the needs of civil servants. ARTUZ said:
For the second month in a row, the Zimbabwean government has failed to pay civil servants’ salaries on time. Civil servants are already earning paltry salaries and are battling to make ends meet.
The festive season was struck off the calendar of government workers way back. Unfortunately, the late payment of salaries adds a new layer of pain to the exploited government employees.
Failing to meet the basics for survival when others are swimming in plenty is torturous.
The union alleged that while teachers continue to struggle in poverty, top bureaucrats are reaping the rewards of their manipulative actions, enjoying lavish lifestyles in exotic locations. It said:
Senior government officials have since received their big perks in United States dollars. The majority of these elites are now on holiday with their families claiming to be resting from a busy year.
Indeed it was a busy year for them. Looting from the impoverished is not an easy job. Working round the clock to silence the oppressed and disenfranchised majority is not an easy task.
But as they rest they should be assured that the underpaid civil servants will not be silenced forever.
ARTUZ, which is demanding at least US$1 260 per month for the lowest-paid teacher, vowed to push for better working conditions in 2025. The union said:
We are not in the habit of making empty threats. The anger from the civil servants is reaching the boiling point.
2025 will be a difficult year for those who steal from the poor. We will organize and demand fair wages paid on time.
More: Pindula News