Employers will not be able to pay workers competitive wages and salaries currently because politicians were making reckless statements that derailed the country’s economic recovery, Employers’ Confederation of Zimbabwe (Emcoz) director John Mufukare has said.
Addressing participants at the seventh elective congress of the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) last week, Mufukare accused politicians of making reckless statements that derailed economic recovery, hence failure by companies to pay reasonable salaries.
Mufukare’s comments came after outgoing ZCTU secretary-general Wellington Chibebe accused company executives of awarding themselves hefty packages at the expense of workers, some of whose salaries were below the poverty datum line (PDL).
“We are in business to make profits and we can only make money if our economy is doing well,” said Mufukare.
“Employers can only be able to pay workers better salaries if our economy stabilises. Instead of inviting investors to come and invest in the country, we make statements which make our prospective investors put back into their pockets the money they would have wanted to use to invest here.”
He said at the moment businesses were not making realistic profits, hence it was impossible for salaries to be increased to normal levels. Chibebe is on record as demanding that salaries for company executives, especially in public institutions and parastatals, be made public.
The veteran trade unionist, who relinquished his position at the ZCTU congress, has been calling for workers’ salaries to be pegged at PDL levels. Some executives were reportedly getting $11 000 upwards in some companies, yet ordinary workers were getting around $200 per month.
