The government says it will not give in to civil servants’ demands for a salary increase as it has to strike a balance between meeting wage obligations and investing in infrastructural development.
The government is also wary of derailing the ongoing International Monetary Fund (IMF) staff monitored programme, which places emphasis on capping the wage bill.
Civil servants have for the past three years been pushing for salaries that tally with the poverty datum line, now pegged at ZW$40 000 (US$476) per month for a family of six.
Meanwhile, most public servants are earning around ZW$17 000, the equivalent to US$200.
Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare minister Paul Mavima this week told the Zimbabwe Independent that raising civil servants’ salaries to the same level as PDL would be counterproductive. He said:
That is counterproductive. This is why we are talking about maintaining minimal changes for now because we want to maintain a balance where we can reserve resources for the construction of roads, schools, health facilities instead of paying public servants just to sit without service delivery or infrastructural delivery.
There has to be a painful and sometimes delicate balance between meeting the demand of our public service and maintain some resources for the country.
Mavima was speaking on the sidelines of the ongoing eighth edition of Continental Africa Public Service Day commemorations in Victoria Falls.
A series of wage talks between civil servants’ representatives and government officials have produced very little.
Mavima however, admitted that the government was seized with the issue and was cognisant of the fact it needed to restore value of the employees in real terms. He said:
There was quite some erosion that took place in employees’ salaries due to the necessary transformation of monetary policy that moved us away from the US dollar remuneration to where we introduced the Zimbabwean dollar.
Salaries remained at the same level even the value of the Zim dollar had reduced compared to the US dollar.
So we got to a situation where for example teachers when earning US$500 and got to point of earning an equivalent of US$30 or US$40 per month.
So we understand we have to balance that request with what the country can afford at this particular time.
I’m glad to say that we have moved from that US$40-50 equivalent salary to where we are now around US$200 if you use the official exchange rate.
So we have progressed significantly but we need to find means and ways of increasing salaries and wages of public service in real value. That will make them motivated.
Why cant the ministers also receive the very low salaries that are given to civil servants?
Securocrats are the backbone of this Junta regime and not ordinary civil servants…!
This is good even the 45% u promised us u just went quite surely u looking good in ur nice suit with ur $30 000 pocket money yet a civil servant is struggling to put food on the table but seriously what would you do if it was u ,we are suffering out here we have kids to take care of ,grand parents to take care of ,rentals to pay , surely u make us cry everyday is it a sin or crime to be civil servants please don’t be with bad heart sure a street money changer is living large driving fancy cars owning houses out there and we put 100% effort on our work sitting in offices all day long no lunch no transport money okay just calculate if u hv a good heart and u so love us
U give us zwl$16 000
Then transport we pay a day zwl$200.00 multiplied by 20 days per month =zwl $4 000.00
Then we pay rentals 1 room going for usd $30.00 and if u go to banks u don’t get the USA so on black market now u get it for zwl $3 900
For a family of 6 u have to find 2 rooms which totals zwl
Rent = zwl $ 7 800
Water bill zwl $3 000
Zesa bill zwl $ 2 500
Transport zwl $ 4 000
Food for a family of 6 needs a straight $13 000
We have parents to look after they suffered for us to get educated but seriously we are failing to look after them.
Now 13000 +4 000+ 2 500+7 800 surely
HELP US LIFE MATTERS
God bless you for taking us into consideration