Tsvangirai says no to salary freeze

By a correspondent

Zimbabwean Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai has contradicted statements made by Finance Minister Tendai Biti and declared that ‘the government did not announce a wage freeze.’ Last week Biti claimed the government wage bill was too high and that they had decided to freeze it. ‘There is no government policy on wage freeze. If ever there is going to be such a policy, it must also take into consideration the price freeze,’ Tsvangirai said at the weekend.

Tsvangirai and members from his MDC-T party joined the ZCTU for the traditional Workers Day celebrations in Harare over the weekend. According to a report in the weekly Zimbabwe Standard Tsvangirai said the government was “very serious” about resolving the salary discrepancies in the public service and ensuring a better quality of life for workers.

Meanwhile the paper reports that three of its journalists almost failed to cover the ZCTU’s May Day event in Dzivaresekwa after some overzealous security personnel demanded press cards. But even after presenting the press cards the guards went on to deny them entry. Senior reporters Bertha Shoko and Vusumuzi Sifile, and photographer Shepherd Tozvireva had to seek the intervention of MDC-T spokesperson Nelson Chamisa.

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