CIVIL servants have reacted angrily to the continued shifting of their pay dates due to the ongoing economic meltdown, saying at this rate, the cash-strapped government might soon find itself unable to pay them at all.
BY OBEY MANAYITI
There were slight changes to the government’s position regarding payment of salaries, with teachers, rest of the civil servants and pensioners receiving their July salaries next month.
A civil servants’ August salary schedule released last Friday by the Ministry of Public Service indicates that the army will be paid on August 23, followed by health sector on August 26, police on August 30. Teachers and pensioners will get their payments on September 2 and 9, respectively.
The government has been failing to pay its workers on time, culminating in last month’s strike.
“We expected all the pay dates to fall in August, but it looks like the some have remained the same although there has been a slight improvement,” Apex Council chairperson, Cecilia Alexander said at the weekend.
“The proper thing to do is to pay the civil servants on the same month they would have worked. We are going to engage government through the joint negotiating forum. We are going to call for a meeting as soon as possible with the government,” she said, adding they might embark on another job action if the situation does not improve.
“It is important to exhaust all dialogue channels available, but, if that fails, we will be left with no choice,” Alexander said.
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Zimbabwe Teachers’ Association (Zimta) chief executive, Sifiso Ndlovu said they were saddened by the new dates, as teachers are still going to be paid the following month.
“The new pay dates confirm the situation remains uncertain. When the situation remains uncertain it sends shivers down on our spines. We have a feeling that the salaries will eventually stop coming,” he said.
Ndlovu said they will keep on engaging their members to get a way forward.
“In a few months, we will see ourselves failing to earn at all. We need to return to normalcy. We will continue to share with our members the information and it will be them who will make the decision,” he said.
