Ministers offer angry State workers $100

Finance minister, Patrick Chinamasa

In a bid to ensure the workers continue to report for work, government has offered an advance of $100 to cover transport until July 7 and 14 when teachers and nurses will be paid respectively.

Citing lack of resources, government failed to pay June salaries by the usual mid-month schedule, delaying wages for the security services by two weeks while the rest of the civil service will only be paid next month.

Monday’s meeting was attended by finance minister Patrick Chinamasa, public service minister Prisca Mupfumira, ICT minister Supa Mandiwanzira as well as central bank governor John Mangudya.

“Government offered to pay $100 as an advance payment by Friday this week to alleviate the problems so that they are able to go to work,” Mupfumira told reporters.

“The workers are going to consult, but we think this is the best position at the moment, what Government can afford and we hope to improve in the future subject to availability of funds.”

Union leader Cecilia Alexander said they would put the government’s offer to their members.

“The employer came up with a stop-gap measure to say they will pay every civil servant $100 in their bank accounts to enable them to go to work,” she said.

“Now we are going back to the workers to consult. We are only representatives and we are going to consult on whether or not they accept that.

“We will come back to Government probably tomorrow (today) afternoon, considering the urgency of the matter.”

She added: “Workers will be incapacitated to report for duty if salaries are not paid on the traditional due dates,” she said.

“We are saying the economic burden should not be put on the shoulder of the workers, hence, we requested Government to look at the welfare of their workers from June 30 to July 14.”

Meanwhile, the Rural Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (RTUZ) said it was mobilising its members for a demonstration at the finance ministry head offices in Harare on July 1.

The union said there was no need for meetings with the government.

“We have worked for our money, all that is needed now is for the teachers’ accounts to be credited with their salaries,” union leaders said in a statement Monday.

“In light of this, as RTUZ, instead of wasting time attending meaningless monologues disguised as meetings, we will be mobilising for our 1 July, 2016 demonstration for our salaries.

“On 1 July we will bring business to a stand-still at the Ministry of Finance as we demand our monies.

“We can no longer keep silent and attend meetings whose only material outcome are just hefty sitting allowances for the government ministers and their hangers on.”