Civil servants demand to meet Mnangagwa

Published: 18 May 2018

CIVIL servants have demanded an indaba with President Emmerson Mnangagwa to raise their concerns over the poor state of affairs in the public sector as well as press his administration to accede to their demands for a 100% salary hike.

The resolution was made during an Apex Council meeting on Wednesday, which was meant to review their negotiations strategies as well as to iron out their differences ahead of the planning indaba with government.

Apex Council vice-chairperson Thomas Muzondo, said the civil servants resolved among other issues, to accept salaries linked to the poverty datum line as well as a review of the housing and rural allowances for rural teachers.

"We also agreed that we want a wage adjustment that will see a least paid civil servant getting not less than $700 which is the poverty datum line. Most importantly, we would want to meet with the President so that we could highlight our challenges as civil servants. Every union should be represented at that meeting," Muzondo said.
"Some of the resolutions which we made include the issue of vacation for our teachers. The government had offered to pay teachers in exchange of their leave days, but the payment was to be made in staggered form, we have said, let such payments be a once-off dispatch."

The government had offered a 15% pay rise up from an initial offer of 10% to its workers, but the civil servants were reluctant to take the offer demanding more.
The offer was to be effective on July 1.

The government had also agreed to pay teachers, who were shortchanged by the vacation leave ban, cash-in-lieu for the accrued days effective from July, but in a staggered manner.

But the workers want the payment to be once-off.

The State had also agreed to reduce rentals on its houses to a figure which is not more than the housing allowances workers receive.

Attempts to get a comment from Simbarashe Mumbengegwi, the minister in charge of the civil service in the Office of the President and Cabinet were fruitless as his mobile phone went unanswered.

Muzondo said at least 12 unions were represented at the meeting and their resolutions will now be tabled at the negotiating table with government at a date to be announced.

- newsday

Tags: Mnangagwa,