Civil service pay hike ‘rigged’ to benefit Mugabe

By Everson Mushava, Staff Writer

HARARE – The salary increase for civil servants promised by President Robert Mugabe turned out to be a paltry $31 each, a development which triggered a nasty fallout between unions with some taking it while others emphatically said no.

The paltry increase comes at a time when Mugabe, government ministers and officials blow tens of millions of dollars on useless foreign trips. Hundreds of millions of dollars of money realised from diamond sales have not found their way to treasury amid reports that influential individuals in the country are busy lining their pockets.

Some hard pressed civil servants, most of whom are living from hand to mouth Civil servants get pay rise immediately dismissed the increment as a mockery and vowed to press ahead with strike action. The Zimbabwe Teachers’ Union (Zimta), Teachers’ Union of Zimbabwe (TUZ) and Public Service Association representatives accepted the increment. The three unions are generally regarded as pro-Zanu PF.

But the militant group, Progressive Teachers’ Union of Zimbabwe (PTUZ) said their counterparts were “sell outs” for accepting such a “ridiculous figure”. PTUZ secretary-general Raymond Majongwe stormed out of the press conference in protest and exchanged harsh words with TUZ chief executive Manuel Nyawo outside the press conference room at Zimta house in Harare.

The press conference to announce the paltry increment was being conducted by Apex Council. Majongwe called the increment a “pretence and a cruel insult” to the conscience of civil servants who had been negotiating for a pay rise for over six months and vowed to continue with the strike to pressure government for better salaries.

In the new salary structure, the lowest paid civil servant will earn a basic salary of $159 up from $128 per month, realising a $31 increment with effect from yesterday. Housing allowance has been upped to $50 from $30 with transport allowance rising marginally from $28 to $44. Cumulatively, the lowest civil servant will earn $243 from about $180 a month.

The salary hike agreement was reached in a meeting between the Apex council, the mother body for government worker unions and the government negotiating team, the National Joint Negotiating Council in Harare yesterday. Apex council chairperson Tendai Chikowore said she welcomed the provisional salary increment that came after protracted negotiations with the government. The negotiations included a meeting between Mugabe and civil servants’ representatives in April this year.

Mugabe promised to double the salaries by June. After failing to honour his promise, teachers led by PTUZ embarked on a strike that Majongwe yesterday said would continue. Zimta denounced the strike saying the action was too premature. Chikowore yesterday said the salary increment had moved the least paid civil servant to 50 percent of poverty datum line of $502, hence was acceptable.

“The issues relating to the reintroduction of the rural allowances and the education allowances have been agreed to. However, there payment has been deferred to a time when the government has generated sufficient revenue,” said Chikowore. Majongwe, on the other hand, described the whole salary structure as a “rigged process”.

He said transport and housing allowances were “committed money”, not disposable income. Because of that his organisation would only recognise the $31 increase effected on the basic salary.

“Is that negotiation when you go in to simply receive set figures that had already been leaked in the Herald about three weeks ago? Then you call a press conference to announce an increase of $31 to the nation. It’s atrocious,” he said, adding that the whole negotiating was politicised.

“Even the outcome of the negotiations has been politicised. That is why there was a stampede to thank President Mugabe as an individual as if the money is coming from an individual’s pocket,” said Majongwe, fuming with anger. Majongwe said the increment was unacceptable to rural teachers who did not get incentives from parents and were the ones hard hit by “this pretentious agreement”.

College Lecturers Association of Zimbabwe president David Dzatsunga said while he appreciated the government’s effort, he would need to consult his members first before they could call off the strike. He said the increment fell far too short of his expectations. College lecturers have been on strike since Tuesday pressing for higher salaries.

“We will decide as a separate entity on the course of action to take in light of this development,” said Dzatsunga. Zimta chief executive officer Sifiso Ndlovu described Majongwe as a “novice in union politics” who was not “purely” a teacher and had limited experience in trade union procedures when engaging the government.

Since April when President Mugabe promised a pay rise for civil servants, a political battlefield had been triggered with Zanu PF accusing Finance Minister Tendai Biti of sabotaging government effort. Biti said government coffers were dry and could not sustain any increase unless funds were availed to him. Daily News