Govt to implement civil service pay rise in April

Source: Govt to implement civil service pay rise in April – herald

Mkhululi Ncube-Bulawayo Bureau

The Government has said it is finalising modalities to implement a salary increment for its workers starting next month, and will be meeting negotiators for finer details before the end of this week.

Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare Minister Edgar Moyo said this yesterday in Bulawayo as he assured civil servants that the employer was seriously looking into their welfare issues and that good news was coming.

Public sector workers have gone for two years without a salary increment and, despite a stable economy, recent developments in the Middle East — which have pushed fuel prices up — have resulted in kombi operators raising fares, while some shops have also reviewed the prices of certain goods upwards.

In an interview on the sidelines of the National Social Security Authority (NSSA) Engineers’ Workshop on Occupational Safety and Health, Minister Moyo acknowledged the need to review civil servants’ salaries.

“We all expect that something should have happened. There were delays in processes here and there, but I want to assure the nation that we are actively working on that,” he said.

“Within a day or two, there is going to be a National Joint Negotiating Council (NJNC) meeting where these matters are going to be discussed and hopefully concluded.”

Minister Moyo said the Government was being guided by the job evaluation framework, which is now a working document, and will inform the remuneration of civil servants based on qualifications and grades. He appealed to the public service workforce to remain calm as partners in the NJNC thrash out the final issues.

“The Government is active on the matter and an agreement will be made once the workers have put in their demand and the Government has made its offer,” he added.