Zimbabwe government fails to pay workers

via Govt fails to pay workers – DailyNews Live by Lloyd Mbiba  25 MARCH 2014

Government has failed to pay its workers on time, postponing the pay date by three days — a sign of a tightening financial crisis.

Angry civil servants have railed against the government for changing pay dates, saying their employer is engaging in unfair labour practice, putting more pressure on President Robert Mugabe’s Zanu PF to deliver on election promises made last year of higher wages.

The Finance ministry issued a statement last week, stating that it had moved the pay date from March 25 to March 27.

“Civil Service Commission advises that the ministry of Finance (Treasury) has moved the March 2014 pay date for the rest of the civil service from March 25 to March 27 2014,” Civil Service Commission secretary Pretty Sunguro said in the statement.

Only uniformed forces and teachers received their salaries, according to the unions, while the rest of the civil servants are to wait for March 27. Govt fails to pay workers

Sunguro could not immediately explain yesterday why the dates were moved, and had not responded to written questions sent to her by the time of going to press.

Patrick Chinamasa, the Finance minister, was unreachable for comment as his mobile phone went unanswered, while Labour minister Nicholas Goche was said to be out of the country.

Unions were promised a wage increase for Zimbabwe’s 235 000 State employees, the bulk of whom are teachers, but the money is yet to materialise.

Chinamasa was challenged recently in Parliament on when government would honour its pledge, but he was non-committal.

“We are not yet in April,” Chinamasa said.

But speaking at his belated birthday party organised for him by the Public Service Commission, Mugabe said the pledge will be honoured.

“We were promised that we would get the money in April,” Mugabe told government officials at a luncheon to celebrate his birthday.

“I was talking to (Public Service Commission chairman) Mariyawanda Nzuwah who is close to Chinamasa and he assured me that we would be paid. Even the President is also a worker — 1st of April don’t fool us.”

Mugabe blamed sanctions for the crisis.

“We are currently going through a difficult patch as a result of the sanctions that were imposed on us,” he said.

“This has resulted in a delay in the fulfilment of the promises of a salary increment that we made last year.

“It is, however, just a technical delay in the mobilisation of the monies, but the promise will be honoured. It is our wish, as government, to have all our workers adequately compensated for their hard work.”

Mugabe, Africa’s oldest leader at 90 and in power since the former Rhodesia’s independence from Britain in 1980, was re-elected in a July vote sledged by rivals as stolen but largely endorsed by African observers as free and credible.

Mugabe has promised to revive the free-falling economy, which is stuttering to right itself after a decade-long crisis up to 2009.

Unions yesterday laid into the government saying the change in pay dates portends a deeper crisis

Cecilia Alexander, chairperson of the umbrella body for civil servants, the Apex Council, alleged the government was engaging in unfair labour practice.

“We don’t know why the government did that,” Alexander said.

“Instead of telling us first as the unions, they went to inform the nation about the pay date change. But we must say this is an unfair

labour practice. Civil servants would have already made their plans and to change without notifying them is unfair. Mind you, the salaries are not sufficient enough and then for government to move the pay date is wrong.”

Sifiso Ndlovu, Zimbabwe Teachers Association chief executive, said the unions now fear that the government will backtrack on its promises to award a salary increment next month.

“This forewarns of bad things that lie ahead for us,” he said. “The government move has lessened our hope and trust that we will get a salary increment next month. It is apparent that the government will not increase civil servants’ salaries.

“This is a crisis and we expect the government to come out clean and tell us what is happening. Last month, we wrote to the Civil Service Commission seeking a meeting but up to now they have not responded. We want government to confirm or allay our fears because we now fear for the worst.”

Raymond Majongwe, Progressive Teachers Union of Zimbabwe secretary-general, said the change of dates signals a bleak future for civil servants.

Majongwe said: “This is a tell-tale sign of a very bleak future for us civil servants. Pay dates cannot be changed wily-nilly and the announcement is made in a newspaper. Government should respect that civil servants have to honour some dues whether to landlords or to service providers. We call upon the government to put its house in order. Government should prioritise our welfare.

“April is coming and we will not accept anything other than pay increase. We do not want to hear that the government is broke or whatever. The government should just fulfil its pledges.”

 

COMMENTS

WORDPRESS: 16
  • comment-avatar
    Tozvirevakupiko 11 years ago

    Mati madii.. muchatsvukira. This is what we have been saying all along… this cannot go on and it cannot be hidden. The revolutionary party will be exposed for waht it is – a complete failure. Zimbos you have been cheated too many times – please not again. Lets be ready to seize this opportunity. No GNU…kana Zuma akada kuti tauriranai answer should be NO. We want internationally organised and monitored elections…from start to finish. No NIKU. Better the country comes to a standstill than another stupid GNU please!

  • comment-avatar
    Insider 11 years ago

    It is coming to a standstill already. There is no more MONEY. In a month or two unless they can beg borrow or steal, the wages will not be paid. The end is fast approaching, let the whole thing crumble and then we can start picking it up with goodmen at the helm as opposed to thieves and murderers.

  • comment-avatar
    Reverend 11 years ago

    $6000,000 wedding, $1000,000 birthday bash, $5000,000 house in China, $25000,000 estate in SA, $100,000,000 home in Harare, $?,000000s doctors fees and travel for 60 cronies around the world, the corupt sallaries you have given your cheffs, the Billions you have stolen from the diamond mines, the outrageous wealth of your zpf ministers etc etc etc and you cannot pay your workers the simple salaries the work hard for!!! You mr president are a creep of note and you deserve. the uprising you are going to get.

    • comment-avatar

      Job 20: 5 “the triumph of the wicked is short.” Zimbabwe lets us pray and trust God. But first we have to come before the Lord with holy hands and a clean heart, I know there is much anger but let us clear our hearts of all hatred, unrighteous anger, bitterness and unforgiveness. The prayers of a righteous man availeth much. By holding these ungodly things in our heart we hinder the Lord from moving. He is a just and holy God and will judge all the evil in our nation. But we gain nothing by having hardened hearts, We pray and trust and get our individual lives right and believe for the Lord to move! I pray He raises up godly man to govern this nation!

  • comment-avatar
    Che'guevara 11 years ago

    Do you know the story of one Nikolae Caesescou of Romania. Watch this space. No amount of propaganda can cheat an economy. Everything will come crumbling like a deck of cards and we will watch and enjoy the domino effect.

    • comment-avatar

      We know the story. The background to the overthrow of that evil dictatorship was a very faithful little intercessory group in Timososara. God is greater than us. We pray! And trust!

  • comment-avatar
    Smart Talk 11 years ago

    Iyezvino kutura chokwadi ruchembere urwu haruchanakidzi zvachose. Even what he says its so boring to the ear. Why not giving people the money you were supposed to squander in Belgium with your wife. Its even surprising the Minister of Labour is out of the country, doing what when your department is in a crisis like this. Pane macontracts aarikutsvaka here kunze ikoko or they no longer care about their duties. Anywhere handiti macivil servants acho ndimi munoti bhora mugedhi hameno zvazvo.

  • comment-avatar

    remove the indeginisation policy kuzvipedza izvi country would work better under Privatisation

  • comment-avatar
    Rocks tone 11 years ago

    Ndizvo , mr TOSVIRAKUPI.if MDC vows to rejoin this grave train again , we are warning them especially in the name of MDCT, please and I quart they will be the waste rebellion to come , this is the time people will be able to claim their devinal justification, act responsibly MDC, not for the benefits of you , or certain favored individual.

  • comment-avatar
    Fallenz 11 years ago

    The whole thing has been a planned bank heist… and, now they are sweeping the floor of the vault for the few coins left. Greedy bunch, ay.

    Just think if the stolen billions could be recovered.

  • comment-avatar
    makanyara 11 years ago

    cry the beloved country…………

  • comment-avatar
    WILLO 11 years ago

    fail to pay and delay payment are different things.Why dont you wait for the date they promised.

  • comment-avatar
    Mixed Race 11 years ago

    Why should the government prioritize your affairs instead of the economy? You can wait until the economy improves.Our children who work for private companies have salary cuts because their companies are struggling to survive.Sometimes they get their salaries two weeks late,but you worry about two days delay-what a joke you are.Your votes should not be used to hold the government at ransom,so you should get a salary cut until the economy improves.
    No government generates money therefore you should wait until the private sector improves to pay more taxes to the gvt for you to get the increase in salaries.Do not put a cart in front of a poor horse because it cannot pull that weight.

  • comment-avatar
    Rhuli 11 years ago

    Tozvirevakupiko, well said; just a few more like-minded people like you will be more that enough to change the destiny of your country for the better for ever…the thieves are already on their knees and there can’t be any significant resistance…