Source: Civil servants engage Govt on vacation leave – Sunday News Sep 10, 2017
Prisca Mupfumira
Tinomuda Chakanyuka, Senior Reporter
CIVIL servants have engaged the Government on the withdrawal of vacation leave for teachers, with the latter reportedly having indicated that it would give a position on the matter in the next two months.
Vacation leave for teachers was scrapped in January last year after Government said it was not in a position to pay relief teachers.
Civil servants representatives recently presented the matter, among others, during a National Joint Negotiating Council (NJNC) meeting in Harare.
Although the Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare Minister Cde Prisca Mupfumira could not be reached for comment last week, civil servants representatives told Sunday News that their employer had promised to look into the matter.
Minister Mupfumira could not be reached for comment as she was not answering her mobile phone.
Her deputy, Cde Tapiwa Matangaidze who however, was not part of the proceedings during the NJNC meeting, confirmed that the Government was seized with the matter.
“The matter hasn’t been finalised. People are still in discussions. The Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education are seized with the matter,” he said.
Cde Matangaidze was non-committal on when an outcome was expected.
Apex Council chairperson Mrs Cecilia Alexander on Thursday last week said civil servants were looking forward to a positive response from the Government.
She said the Government had requested workers to be patient while it looked into the matter.
“The Government is working on it. Consultations are still on with the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education and the Ministry of Finance on the matter.
“The employer requested us to be patient for about two months while consultations are on. Yes, there is a court ruling but we will wait and hear what the Government will tell us after the two months,” she said.
Progressive Teachers’ Union of Zimbabwe, which took the Government to court over the matter and won the case last year, said in a statement to members that the Government had acknowledged the need to comply with the court order to allow teachers to go on vacation leave.
“(The) Government conceded and acknowledged the need to comply with the court order granted to the PTUZ to allow teachers to proceed on vacation leave after the Labour Court in June 2016.
“They advised that the responsible ministries, that is, Finance, Labour and Primary and Secondary Education, are ceased with the matter. (The) Government promised the outcome will be communicated in the next two months,” reads the statement.
Zimbabwe Teachers’ Union president Mr Richard Gundane said the issue of vacation leave was of concern to the teachers and they were hopeful that the Government would come up with a favourable position on the matter.
Mr Gundani implored the Government to use all available options to mobilise adequate resources to pay relief teachers and allow teachers to go on vacation leave.
“We are hoping that in the next meeting we will get a response on what they would have put in place.
“It’s of grave concern for teachers and we continue to humbly engage the Government to rescind its directive on vacation leave.
“We implore them (the Government) to use all options at their disposal to ensure that the necessary resources are available. We know they have a lot of options,” said Mr Gundane.
Teachers accrue one day for every 20 days worked, meaning in one year they accrue 18 days and at that rate they need seven years to accrue 126 days.
The rest of the civil servants accrue one day for every 12 days worked, including weekends meaning, for one year worked, they accrue 30 days vacation leave.
According to recommendations of the 2015 Civil Service Audit Report, engaging relief teachers would cost the Government $2,565 million for the three months the substantive teachers would be on leave.
About 2 000 teachers who were supposed to be on leave at the begging of the first term of 2016 were recalled following the withdrawal of vacation leave. -@irielyan
COMMENTS