RECENT claims by Public Service minister Prisca Mupfumira that her ministry has ordered a survey to find out the number of civil servants interested in being given residential stands in lieu of their 2016 bonuses, have confirmed fears that the broke Zanu PF government just wants to use the exercise to buy time and in the process increase the risk of a crippling strike.
Comment: NewsDay Editor
Already, most civil servants are on the edge, ready to down tools as they strongly believe, and rightly so, that their employer is not at all committed to paying the outstanding bonus.
It’s no wonder that the so-called consultations are being held without the knowledge of the Apex Council, the civil service umbrella union whose mandate is to enter into any negotiations on behalf of civil servants.
It appears Mupfumira has already concluded that the majority of government workers prefer the stands when most of them have not even seen the questionnaire that seeks their opinion on the matter.
This shows that the minister is trying to force the decision down the throats of government workers who have been patiently waiting to receive their outstanding 13th cheque since November last year.
The issue of stands was last month rejected by the labour unions, and that the minister is now conducting a survey outside the negotiation route sends a clear message that government has failed to honour its pledge on bonuses.
This is now confirming Finance minister Patrick Chinamasa’s revelations that the cash-strapped government cannot afford to pay its workers bonuses at a time Treasury has kept shifting pay dates for monthly salaries, and even staggering them.
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Government should give its workers their bonuses in monetary terms and facilitate the purchase of residential stands for those who want them. It should not force civil servants to accept its decision through some surveys that will further delay the payment of bonuses to those who prefer cash.
Furthermore, the move by government to offer stands will weigh down against government in the long run. The year is progressing and soon, we will be approaching November again and the workers will be demanding another 13th cheque.
Government should look for money and cut on unnecessary expenditure such as President Robert Mugabe’s numerous and often unproductive foreign trips to enable it to pay workers’ salaries and bonuses.
It’s no secret that the majority of government workers have families that they have to look after and they need money to supplement their meagre salaries.
Mupfumira should, in fact, spend her energy on engaging Chinamasa so that the two find a workable solution, than overstretch civil servants’ patience by continuously changing the goalposts in the false hope that the demands will die a natural death.
