Attempts by Government to damage control and mitigate the anger from civil servants over shifted pay dates, came to nought yesterday after unions snubbed an indaba it had convened.
Subsequently, after rebuffing the meeting, the unions held a Press conference saying they could not attend a meeting where they were “telephonically invited.”
According to new pay dates announced last Friday, members of the Zimbabwe National Army will be paid on June 27 followed by police and prison officers on June 30.
The education sector will be paid on July 7 followed by health workers and the rest of the civil service on July 14. Pensioners will get their dues on 19 July.
On releasing the new pay dates, the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development cited cash flow challenges as the reasons for not paying salaries on time.
The indaba, which the unions ignored, was attended by Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe Governor Dr John Mangudya, Ministers Patrick Chinamasa (Finance and Economic Development), Prisca Mupfumira (Public Service,Labour and Social Welfare), Dr David Parirenyatwa (Health and Child Care Minister) and CSC officials.
The team sought to explain circumstances surrounding the shifting of the pay dates as well as map the way forward.
Minister Mupfumira yesterday said Government would grant the workers another chance tomorrow.
“It was a first for such a team to be together and engage them,” she said.
“They agreed not to attend which is a disservice to themselves because this was an opportunity to hear from the horse’s mouth the way forward. We are all affected, but we needed to understand if this is going to be a normal thing or it will change. They missed that opportunity but anyway we are saying they should come on Wednesday and the same team will be ready to talk to them. The team that was present today (yesterday) agreed on improving communication between ministries and that we should also meet regularly with the workers.
“If they want to come and talk to us they should come, everyone is willing and the door is open.”
Minister Mupfumira added: “Government is not producing much for export. Industry is not moving according to plan and this means low revenue. Government has been trying to borrow money to pay people without productivity. Government is trying at least to pay workers, it might be delayed but it will be paid.”
Apex Council team leader Mrs Cecelia Alexander, told journalists that Government was negotiating in bad faith.
“This follows its failure to disclose pay dates to the meeting with them on June 15, 2016 only to leak the same information to the media,” she said.
“Barely 48 hours after the meeting, the Minister telephonically summons the Apex Council to a meeting whose agenda is a closely guided secret and we have resolved that Government should formally invite workers to a meeting to discuss the urgent issue of the unilateral declaration of pay dates released to the media. We advise Government that the Apex Council will not be responsible for the workers reaction to this attack on their on their livelihoods of all government workers do not receive their salaries by the traditional due dates.”
Minister Mupfumira responded: “When they met (on June 15) the discussions only centered on conditions of service and welfare. The issue of dates only came to us on Friday from Treasury and we viewed this is as an emergency and I instructed my officers to call for an indaba.
“We wanted them to know the future and they agreed to attend. I think the problem is with Mrs Alexander because when she was phoned she should have said they were not able to come. Blame games will not solve anything and we expect to meet them on Wednesday.”
herald
13 Replies to “Irate Civil Servants Raise ‘Middle Finger’ At Ministers”
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BOnus vakatopedza kare here? Ngava fana kutetena iyoyo
BOnus vakatopedza kare here? Ngava fana kutetena iyoyo
Kuchengeta mambuya uko nekuhora kweunoita hazvineyi nema salaries ematicha emuno. What is your goal in writing all this?
Zvine chekuita nemuhoro wematicha emuZimbabwe here izvi? Ndinenge ndarasika, asi handisikuona kuti ndirikurasika papi.
Ungaziva panoiswa X, asi kana uchiisa X wacho wakarindwa ngemusoja ane pfuti izere mbumburu, unotoisa X wacho peanonga akuti isa. Reke-rekezvo, unoendeswa kwa mupfiganebwe chimbi-chimbi.
Kuite zvekudaidza vanhu ngefoni kude kuzoramba kuti hakuna chakadaro chakamboitika. What bothers me is that kushaikwa kwemari yakange isiri tsaona, asi kuti something these leaders knew about all along, asi havana zvavakaita to mitigate crisis yakazo chinjise ma pay dates.
Chimwe ngechekuti hakusi kutanga kusangana nedambudziko rekushaya mari yekuripa vashandi iyi, asi kuramba muchiita postpone ma dates. Munoramba muchiita implement the same solution mwedzi ngemwedzi. Munoti pane pezvinochinja zvega kunze better outcomes here?
What Mupfumira should be telling Zimbabwe is why we are not producing anything for export. If the government is broke, then all the talk of thousands of ghost workers, Dzasukwa’s unending trips, down sizing the cabinet to 12 ministers, no deputies, downsize the army, privatise all parastatals, reclaim farm land from cell phone Sora Bean farmers and give it to anybody black or white who can utilise it and above all, indict all who are corrupt, and the list must start with Chechule himself must be effected.
What Mupfumira should be telling Zimbabwe is why we are not producing anything for export. If the government is broke, then all the talk of thousands of ghost workers, Dzasukwa’s unending trips, down sizing the cabinet to 12 ministers, no deputies, downsize the army, privatise all parastatals, reclaim farm land from cell phone Sora Bean farmers and give it to anybody black or white who can utilise it and above all, indict all who are corrupt, and the list must start with Chechule himself must be effected.
Kuno tiri pa referendum yekuti tibude kana kuti tigare, tiudzeyi wo ka kuti tiota sei nhai, pamakabuda mumisangano yedzimwe nyika , chii chakaitika, ini zvatondinetsa. Asi huuuu kubuda aiwa.
Kuno tiri pa referendum yekuti tibude kana kuti tigare, tiudzeyi wo ka kuti tiota sei nhai, pamakabuda mumisangano yedzimwe nyika , chii chakaitika, ini zvatondinetsa. Asi huuuu kubuda aiwa.
Pamuchaziva pano iswa X toti madzidza.
Just finishe night shift pa home pano chengetwa chembere dzechirungu. paita mikonde 10 inotyisa asi kamshina keku bank ndakanzwa kachiti kechenggggg, ndikabva ndati kuna madam, wainzwa, yapinda yese, kwete hwamburamakwakwa, mari machinda. Hanzi heehhee vano geza chembere mikonde yendove, zvino bhadhara, August asvika, pa ndege kuno ona vabereki. Ko kenyu kachembere kamaka swero fambira rwendo muchikomo icho chana che Harare ku Trillion Zimdhora March, asi haka bhadhare. Kuseka nhamo serugare.
Just finishe night shift pa home pano chengetwa chembere dzechirungu. paita mikonde 10 inotyisa asi kamshina keku bank ndakanzwa kachiti kechenggggg, ndikabva ndati kuna madam, wainzwa, yapinda yese, kwete hwamburamakwakwa, mari machinda. Hanzi heehhee vano geza chembere mikonde yendove, zvino bhadhara, August asvika, pa ndege kuno ona vabereki. Ko kenyu kachembere kamaka swero fambira rwendo muchikomo icho chana che Harare ku Trillion Zimdhora March, asi haka bhadhare. Kuseka nhamo serugare.