Govt, civil servants hold another indaba, after deadlock as workers reject US$50 increment

Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube

Civil servants allegedly spunned a US$50 salary increment offered by the government during a National Joint Negotiating Council (NJNC) meeting held last week Friday.

On Thursday 02 March, the government reportedly offered civil servants a 50% Zimbabwe dollar increment and a US$20 hike which was rejected.

Then on Friday, 10 March, the government offered to increase civil servants’ gross salaries in local currency from 50% to 100% and reconfigured the COVID-19 allowance and the cushion allowance from the previously offered US$220 to US$250.

The offer was turned down, with the workers’ saying it is not good enough.

Representatives of the civil servants under the Zimbabwe Congress of Public Sector Trade Unions (ZCPSTU), did not disclose the figures tabled by the government during the negotiations.

In a statement issued on Friday, ZCPSTU only said there were issues that they did not agree with during the negotiations.

Part of the statement reads:

“The government made several concessions on our demands, but there are outstanding issues.

“As a workers’ team of negotiators, we requested the government team of negotiators to engage their principals and make further consultations about the outstanding demands.

“The meeting has agreed to meet on March 16, 2023, for feedback from the government’s side.”

Civil servants are demanding a salary increment that would see the least-paid worker earning US$840.

Apparently, the Amalgamated Rural Teachers Union of Zimbabwe ARTUZ) has accused the National Joint Negotiating Council (NJNC) of abandoning their cause.

“The NJNC has exposed the failure of structured systems toward advancing the workers agenda.

“The elites tend to betray us when in matters. So it is better for rank and file to organize on their own,” says ARTUZ.

Zwnews