via Mugabe fails to calm civil servants – Southern Eye by Phillip Chidavaenzi 17 March 2014
APEX Council chairperson Richard Gundani yesterday challenged the government to confirm its pledge to review civil servants’ salaries in writing to the National Joint Negotiation Council (NJNC) instead of verbal pronouncements at public gatherings.
Gundani told our sister paper NewsDay yesterday that although key members were happy with President Robert Mugabe’s recent pronouncements that civil servants would get salary increment next month, they would have been happier if the commitment was put in writing.
Mugabe last Friday reiterated that government employees would have their salaries reviewed next month, adding that Finance minister Patrick Chinamasa and Public Service his counterpart Nicholas Goche were currently seized with the matter.
Gundani Said: “We first heard about this last month before our payday from ministers Chinamasa and Goche and now that it has been reiterated by the President, it gives us confidence. What we would have wanted, however, is a written commitment made through NJNC.”
He said although the political will was important, practical steps should be taken on the ground to ensure that the promise was fulfilled.
“Our attitude is that the promise must no go beyond April 1,” he said.
College Lecturers’ Association of Zimbabwe chairperson David Dzatsunga said they took such remarks with a pinch of salt and treated public announcements “with the contempt they deserve”.
“The promises have been one too many,” he said. “We have heard these promises before, but nothing has materialised,” he said.
“They have also told us about a token of appreciation that never was. So these promises will always be made without any due regard attached made to them.”
According to a deal they struck with the government, civil servants were supposed to receive adjusted salaries in February backdated to January.
The deal which was struck last month was expected to see the lowest paid person getting three quarters of the poverty datum line, which was set on $505. Another review was due mid-2014.
Civil servants make up the country’s largest workforce at about 230 000 and on average take home nearly $300 monthly against a poverty datum line figure of $560, which is the minimum set out for basic sustenance.
In his 2014 national budget statement presentation, Chinamasa said the salaries of civil servants were gobbling nearly 75% of the State’s monthly income.
COMMENTS
Promises…Promises as usual.
Civil servants should be aware that the country is bankrupt, they do not have the money to pay your present salaries, never mind an increase. They might be able to beg borrow or steal enough money to pay you for a month or two more. Thereafter, unless a miracle occurs there will be no more money!!! Think about it and make plans to keep food on the table for your families. Maybe they will bring back the Zim$ and start printing again. It really is their only option
The useless civil servant are in part the reason we are where we are. Let them suffer as the rest of the population is suffering. There are far to many of them anyway.
You can’t paint with a broad brush. And also yes! There are some civil servants who are pure parasitic. But many are genuinely trying to work and serve their nation. many aren’t.
John Thomas uri mh….ndapedza newe.
The wage bill is too high for what the government has. They should be retrenched so that the money can be channeled to productive sectors. Energy being of paramount importance. The civil servants should be retrenched and given shares in parastatals to manage those entities to profitability or should be given land with transferable titles so that those who want to sell can do that. This will be killing many birds with 1 stone. Give majority of Zisco shares, and other parastatals, to them and those companies will be making profits within the next 2 years. Either they will sell the shares to someone willing to operate or they will make the company operational, they will find a way. Empowerment sorted, wage bill sorted, parastatal profitability sorted, strain on fiscus sorted, efficiency in government sorted, ghost workers sorted, agriculture sorted (they can sell the land to willing serious farmers), food security sorted.
Nhai imi kuti John Thomas chirudziiko? Ndibatsireiwo ndanetseka muswere wese. Ndashaya kuti rudzi rupi urwu. Ndamboedza kumukanda kumaBrandaya haafite. KumaNdeere haakwani. KumaSvina haako. KumaTonga hakuna zvakadaro. MaKalanga nix. MaVenda haana type yakadaro.Kana maMoscan nada.Nyangwe maXosa hakuna dhiri. Saka totemless John Thomas watinetsa uyu.Tochingoti Chaporonga ari right mhani.John Thomas uyu imh… .M’dhidhi mhani saKirsty Coventry.
Define Masvina clearly,what do you mean here?
This the norm rather than an exception. The surprising thing is this unwarranted expectation of obtaining the useful from the useless.
The leadership of Civil Servants trade union is compromised. They are singing from the same hymbook with the employer. The leadership was infiltrated way back and they can’t do anything. Muchafa nezhara.
During the late 80’s to the year 2000 Zanu pf evolved the civil service in line with their desire for total control. I agree with NBS that you cannot paint with a broad brush. The only problem is that the brush will be big anyway because apart from the teachers,Doctors,and nurses who have to go to colleges to get a qualification the other branches of the civil service are dogged by nepotism, tribalism and racism in their structures. The civil service in these other groups is filled with CIO informants and operatives. The people that run these departments often employ relatives or people from their own tribes or areas without worrying about skill or experience. That is the reason why their customer care attitudes stink. You cannot touch them. They bully the customer. They shout at the customer. The customer must basically go on their knees to get service. Walk into a Police station and you feel like you guilty of something before you even speak. The passport office leaves a lot to be desired. Getting a Birth certificate is hell. You have to Que for hours and might still walk away empty handed.
@Doctor do little,well said and I want to add that the police who man Chegutu to Kadoma road block are so unprofessional and treat people with punitive attitude,particularly the lady police officers.They get too defensive when you tell them logic and common sense but when you visit the police stations you laugh to read things like-The member of the public should be treated as a King.
I commented to this statement to the policeman who was attending to me.He asked me why I was making the negative comments? To answer him I should him the fine document which was written without proper facts.He looked at it and shook his head because he could not believe it that an old person like me would deliberately damage the third number plate.
I want to salute the CID gentleman who dealt with me in clearing my vehicle for the duplicate registration book application because he showed respect and professionalism beyond my expectation.I felt like a King,to compensate for the bullish treatment I got at Chegutu -Kadoma road block, I hope they learnt something from our long talk regardless of their bullish and punitive reaction.I would like the police to investigate how many accidents happen after road blocks because when people leave these road blocks, they are frustrated and then start driving recklessly endangering other road users.Road blocks should be there to improve the driving on our roads not to collect money on trivial things which do not endanger the public at large.At this road block no one checked my car for very important safety things like brakes but they concentrated on something like slightly damaged Third Number Plate with false accusation that I tempered with it without listening to my explanation.They have no respect for age or intelligence at all.
I see we are already fighting amongst ourselves while the cunning foxes loot everything in sight.lets continue fighting each other and forget about the looters after all they dont fight each other they fight against us as a unit.
@Panda moyo I don’t think we are fighting. We need to talk so that we can try to expose the bad apples. For example this article talks about the plight of civil servants. How will they ever be successful if some of them are making a living taking bribes. The honest ones (I believe they do exist) are the only ones that would benefit in in getting an increment. The dishonest ones are already benefiting by asking for”MONEY FOR A COKE”when ever they serve someone. For example Mixed race has met up with the Good, bad and the ugly from the Police force during his travels.I have seen them at the boarder posts and in the passport office where my Passport has been in for the past 9 months because someone might want a bribe because I paid the minimum. They don’t say “we will tell you when it’s ready” They say just keep on checking. That part of the civil service is compromised by those that where given jobs through special favor. When I say tribalism I don’t specify a particular tribe but an individual who bases his decision to employ based on tribe. Similarly when I say racism I mean when a person employs some one based on the color of his or her skin.When I say Nepotism I mean patronage bestowed, or favoritism shown on the basis of family relationship.This is rife in the civil service as it is in the political scope of Zimbabwe.
Chinamasa inga Biti akambozvitaura mukati aiwa zvataurwa neMbiti iyi.nhasi mavionera pamhuno.you are devils machinda.