GOVERNMENT and its edgy workers are meeting for the third time today in a last-minute attempt to avoid a crippling nationwide industrial action as previous salary negotiations ended in a stalemate with civil servants’ 14-day notice to strike lapsing on Friday last week.
BY OBEY MANAYITI
Today, the National Joint Negotiating Council (NJNC) will meet workers’ union leaders for feedback over government’s $300 million offer that was presented at the last meeting, but rejected by the union leaders.
In the afternoon, the Apex Council will then meet to decide the way forward.
Although other unions are already priming their members to down tools, Apex Council leader Cecilia Alexander yesterday said she was still hopeful that government would table a better offer.
“This will be our third meeting. We haven’t declared a deadlock yet, but we hope the government has a better offer,” she said.
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“It will be up to the Apex Council in its wisdom to call for a strike or not after the meetings. We, as Apex, it’s a body of 16 unions and if two or three decide that they are on strike, that is their own position, but as Apex, we will make the decision after the meeting,” she said.
Progressive Teachers’ Unions of Zimbabwe secretary-general Raymond Majongwe said if government failed to table a better offer today, a strike was inevitable.
“As long as nothing happens tomorrow (today) by 10am, then the strike is inevitable,” he said.
Civil servants are demanding $1 733 for the least paid worker, but government has so far offered way too far below their demands.
The civil servants claimed they were financially incapacitated to continue reporting for duty, dismissing a measly “cushioning allowance” deposited into their accounts on Friday as a drop in the ocean.