By NQOBANI NDLOVU
THE Progressive Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (PTUZ) has challenged government to publish salary schedules of ministers among other senior civil service officials “to see if they resonate with austerity measures” introduced by Finance minister Mthuli Ncube to manage government expenditure.
Teachers and other civil servants are arguing incapacitation to report for duty, citing low salaries in the face of ever-rising cost of basic commodities and inflation. Doctors have been absent from work for over two months.
Government has responded by dismissing nearly 300 doctors, with 500 more set to be axed for embarking on a two-month long industrial action for better pay.
PTUZ president Takavafira Zhou complained over a decision by government to push the bonus payment for teachers to next month and called for the publication of all senior civil servants’ salaries to “see if they reflect with a resource-stressed country”.
“The staggering of teachers’ bonus to December 2019 is another affront by government as there is systematic favouritism for the armed forces always. Teachers cannot continue to accept a system that treats them as if they are second-class citizens,” Zhou said in a statement.
Police, army and those in the health ministry will receive their bonus on Friday. Teachers and other civil servants will receive their bonus in December.
“We call upon the President of Zimbabwe (Emmerson Mnangagwa) to openly publish salaries of government officials and top government workers, starting with his salary, and moving through to Ncube’s salary, permanent secretaries, chief directors, directors and deputy directors, so that we can see whether these resonate with a resource stressed country.
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“Teachers are eager to see Ncube’s salary and see whether given an opportunity he can exchange that salary with a teacher and survive for a month…and anyone who wants teachers to believe that government has no money must be prepared to make officials’ salaries public knowledge,” Zhou added.
But Information deputy minister Energy Mutodi dismissed the demands, urging restive civil servants to remain patient as government was seized with the process of upgrading their conditions of service.
“They must know that salaries are private. That is standard labour practice. You don’t disclose salaries no matter how small or large. In any case, civil servants must know that government is seized with the process of upgrading their conditions of service across the board,” Mutodi said.
“That process is underway and salaries will be reviewed upwards in line with economic growth projections for 2020. And also, the Minister of Finance has said he would continue collecting that 2% tax, and that is the tax we will use to pay the bonus…”
