Strike looms as Govt workers abandon salary talks

LIVINGSTONE MARUFU

Civil servants have abandoned salary negotiations with the government saying talks with their employer “yields no resolution” setting the stage for a potential dogfight.

The workers are seeking a pre-October 2018 salary level of US$540 a month.

But, several talks between the government and its workers yielded no resolution.

Civil servants accused the government of not honouring any of civil servants’ demands and instead acted unilaterally in making decisions and have threatened to go ahead with the planned strike next week.

“Following the BNP [Health Service Bipartite Negotiating Panel] and National Joint Negotiating Council meetings held between July 4 and July 11 2022 respectively, which did not yield anything, all the federations which organise under the public sector do hereby declare that the workers abandon the negotiating processes which do not uphold constitutional rights of Collective Bargaining as enshrined in the National Constitution Section 65 (1),” the public sector federations said in a statement this week.

“The government did not take heed of the call by the workers to improve the US$ component. The employer is making unilateral decisions during the negotiating process. This is informed by perpetual implementation of un-negotiated salaries and conditions of service thereby diminishing the essence of the negotiating processes.”

Civil servants said the team of negotiators from the government side do not have a mandate to make binding decisions on behalf of the government.

“Their consultations take too long at the expense of the workers’ welfare. That all the Public Sector Unions are now forthwith collectively working together under the auspices of their federations to ensure protection of their rights in the labour movement and improved working conditions and welfare of their members,” the public sector workers said.

Civil servants   gave the government a two-week ultimatum to address their salary grievances or face a crippling strike likely to paralyse public services, especially the health and education sectors.

Government workers have been demanding to be paid in US$ citing continued depreciation of local currency, and high inflation, which rose to 191,7% in June.

Workers say they are being forced to source for US$ from the parallel market to pay rentals and other expenses that are now being charged in foreign currency while the government is insisting on paying them in local currency.

Civil servants are getting an average salary of ZWL$36,000 plus an allowance of US$175.

“We agreed that the federations are going to adhere to the 14 days’ notice of industrial action given to the government on July 4 2022,” the public sector said.

Efforts to get a comment from Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare Minister Paul Mavima were futile as his mobile number went unanswered.