Civil servants petition Parly

LIVINGSTONE MARUFU

Aggrieved civil servants yesterday petitioned Parliament to force the government to a meeting to review their salaries amid the rising cost of living.

The Apex Council secretary, David Dzatsunga  confirmed the development saying they have presented the petition because the government was ignoring calls for salary negotiations.

“We have taken our petition to the Clerk of Parliament concerning the reluctance by the government to meet over the obvious and urgent matter of cost of living adjustment,” Dzatsunga said.

“The Zimbabwe Confederation of Public Sector Trade Unions has  delivered the petition  where the Parliament takes the government arms responsible for workers’ conditions over the issue of dialogue.”

Dzatsunga added: “When we meet we no longer have to compromise on US$ salaries, we now want it  wholly as there is no point  for the continuous dialogue on the ZWL$ which is depreciating  on a daily basis.”

The development also comes at a time when civil workers are planning a nationwide mass action.

It is understood that the government was reluctant to meet the workers as the administration was not ready to face the US$540 per month demand.

But this has irked the workers and they are pushing to get the government’s attention.

Government workers  are demanding a pre-October 2018 salary level of US$540 a month saying their low salaries no longer match the rising cost of living.

The civil servants’ salaries amount to about ZWL$30 000  a month  on average plus the US$175 in allowances.

The cost of living for a family of six is now over ZWL$100 000.

The workers have declared incapacitation to continue reporting for work, with the civil servants’ representative body, Apex Council, saying the salary was no longer justifiable given the headwinds in the economy.

Dzatsunga said they represent the civil servants and they need urgent results from the government as most were living on the margin as the economic woes continue to bite.

“Things are really hard for the workers in general with most failing to put basic food and necessities for their families on the table.

“When a person goes to work they must be remunerated accordingly in a manner that is productive,” he  said.

Workers believe the government has enough resources to pay civil servants in US$ despite the central bank governor John Mangudya saying the country has only 44% of the total money supply in the economy which is not enough to dollarise.