The government, seeking to clean up the civil service of ghost workers, has devised a ‘vicious’ method of head counting.
The technique will see all civil servants having to ink-down their signatures on special forms every time when they collect their pay slips.
Last year ZimEye readers slammed the government scheme of calling teachers from their annual vacation for a head counting exercise.
But the government through the state media says this particular move is part of the implementation of civil service audit recommendations made last year which has also seen the Government withholding funding for 2 888 teachers in trust schools. Treasury is set to save US$19,8 million annually.
Cabinet is also deliberating a reduction of student teacher allowances from US$329 to US$157. Recommendations from the audit effected so far are set to cut the Government wage bill by $300 million this year.
Civil servants’ salaries gobble 83 percent of the budget but the Government is targeting a wage bill to revenue ratio of 40:60. Among the recommendations that have already been implemented is the cessation of salary payments to 3 307 “highly suspicious” workers.
A report compiled by the Civil Service Commission read by our Harare Bureau last week shows that impromptu spot checks on the Government work stations across the country has also witnessed a massive improvement in worker attendances.
The report shows that 143 workers have had their contracts terminated over the last few months on charges of “fraudulently acquitting pay sheets”. According to the report, there has also been massive rationalisation of workers within the Ministry of Youth Indigenisation and Economic Empowerment. It had emerged from the audit that the Youth, Indigenisation and Economic Empowerment Ministry employed five youth officers in each of Zimbabwe’s 1 200 wards. This translated to 6 000 civil servants with a cumulative monthly salary bill of US$2, 2 million, assuming each of them earns at least US$380.