By Paul Nyathi| As government remains in desperate closed door negotiations with the striking hospital doctors, the rest of the civil service could soon be another thorn on the government’s backside.
The government employees have joined in the pressure on their employer requesting for an urgent meeting with the Minister responsible for the administration of the Public Service, Simbarashe Mumbengegwi.
The civil servants are requesting for a meeting to discuss a possible upward salary review, among other conditions of service.
Apex Chairperson Mrs Cecilia Alexander confirmed the letter. She said the civil servants like the doctors and other health professions who have been on a three week industrial action, also want their employer to cushion them from the obtaining economic environment.
“The value of civil servants’ earnings has been eroded by the price hikes and the four-tier pricing system. We are therefore requesting the Government to restore the value of what we earn. Civil servants’ salaries should be cushioned somehow,” she said.
President Emmerson Mnangagwa appointed Mumbengegwi as the minister responsible for the administration of the public service at the beginning of this month.
The appointment came up following the movement of the civil service to the Office of the President and Cabinet (OPC).
The civil service used to be under the Ministry of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare.
Mumbengegwi administers the Public Service Act [16:04] and the Zimbabwe Institute of Public Administration and Management Act [25:17].
The appointment of Minister Mumbengegwi came as a relief to the Apex Council who had written to President Mnangagwa expressing concern over the lack of effective communication between Government and its workers.
The Apex Council has wasted no time writing to Mumbengegwi requesting he immediately addresses concerns by the Government workers.
“As we welcome you, we are having to ask you to put your shoulder on the wheel as there are weighty and urgent issues that have been waiting your appointment. The matters among others include; the rationalisation of the civil service and harmonisation of our labour environment,” part of the letter reads.
The civil servants also asked the minister to quickly attend to the pending issue of teachers vacation leave. Vacation leave for teachers was cancelled in January 2016 as part of austerity measures by the Government and teachers have been protesting the decision.
“We wish to make exception of the need for Government to quickly attend to the school teachers leave whose settlement is long overdue. It is against this background that we request for a familiarisation meeting that should set us on a dialogue path on these and other matters,” the letter further reads.
Mrs Alexander said civil servants were eager to iron out their various grievances to Cde Mumbengegwi requesting for a meeting.
The Government and civil servants met over the matter in September last year, with the Government reportedly promising to come up with a final position on the matter within two months. Earlier this month the Zimbabwe Teachers Association threatened to go on strike to force Government to rescind the decision to withdraw vacation leave for educators as formal efforts to come up with a solution have failed.
The Apex Council is a Union of representatives of government employees excluding the health workers and the uniformed forces.
It is currently the largest workers representative body in the country as government remains the biggest employer in a country with over 80% unemployment. Members of the Apex Council currently include
1-COLAZ – COLLEGE LECTURES ASSOCIATION OF ZIMBABWE
2-CSEA – CIVIL SERVICE EMPLOYMENT ASSOCIATION
3-GOA – GOVERNMENT OFFICERS ASSOCIATION
4-GWA – GOVERNMENT WORKERS ASSOCIATION
5-PROTEC – PROFESSIONAL AND TECHNICAL ASSOCIATION
6-PSA – PUBLIC SERVICES ASSOCIATION
7-PTUZ – PROGRESSIVE TEACHERS’ UNION OF ZIMBABWE
8-TUZ – TEACHERS UNION OF ZIMBABWE
9-ZDTU – ZIMBABWE DEMOCRATIC TEACHERS’ UNION
19-ZIMTA – ZIMBABWE TEACHERS ASSOCIATION
11-ZAPTA – ZIMBABWE AMALGAMATED PROGRESSIVE TEACHERS ASSOCIATION
12-ZRTU – ZIMBABWE RURAL TEACHERS’ UNION