HARARE A meeting between civil servants union leaders and government representatives failed to take place last week after the government requested for more time allegedly to fine tune fresh proposals it wants to offer the disgruntled public workers. (
It also emerged last week that civil servants representatives resolved to abandon plans to stage a sit-in at the public service ministry if the after they were told that the government was working to address their plight and was busy hammering out a fresh offer which might include possible exempting children of workers in the education sector from paying fees at public schools.
The civil servants, who have been on a somewhat muted industrial action in the past month, officially called off the strike last Tuesday claiming they wanted to give dialogue a chance.
But a planned meeting with government representatives failed to take place last Wednesday after the government sent an independent arbitrator in the dispute a Dr Samburella, who chairs an independent committee set up by the coalition government to look into the disgruntlement in the civil servants.
Tendai Chikowore, president of the civil servants joint negotiating team — known as the Civil Service Staff Association Apex Council said they were told that a parliamentary committee would meet next week to discuss civil servants salaries.
The government is saying that they can only see us next week after the parliamentary select committee responsible for the issue meets on Monday (next week) to discuss their position on civil servants salaries, she said.
We have no other option but to wait for Tuesday to hear their position. Tuesday is not far away and if we have waited this long we can surely wait for Tuesday.
But a source privy to the negotiations said the government was seriously looking at subsidising or scrapping payment of school fees for children whose parents are in the education sector. It is also looking at reducing tariffs for electricity, water and telephones to cushion the civil servants, added the same source.
Zimbabwes public workers embarked on an indefinite strike last month to press the cash-strapped unity government of President Robert Mugabe and Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirais government to hike salaries from $155 to $630 per month.
But the government which is struggling to revive an economy battered by years of hyperinflation and lure back investors has only managed to raise the salaries to an average $236 a month.
Post published in: News