Civil servants union groups, Zimbabwe Hospital Doctors Association (ZHDA) and Zimbabwe Teacher’s Association (ZIMTA) have rejected the 60% and 76% salary increment proposed by the government
This was revealed by the statements published by both unions on the 26 of August 2019.
The offer for salary increment by government comes at a time when the value of salaries currently have been eroded by high inflation rates, as such the proposed government salary increment is not in tandem with the rates of inflation.
In a statement, Peter Magombeyi the acting president of ZHDA, said the Health Service Board (HSB) should not shift focus away from the pertinent issue facing the doctors of unfair remuneration.
“We also do hereby request that the HSB desist on focusing on technicalities and shift focus to the matter at hand i.e. adjusting salaries according to the market bank rate,” said Magombeyi.
The ZHDA held the Health Bipartite Negotiation Panel (HSBNP) meeting on August 23, and other national wide consultations with its members and have agreed that the 60% offer does not match USD interbank exchange rate.
“The government’s offer of 60% was communicated to doctors nationwide and it has been agreed,” highlighted ZHDA.
The cause of the union in rejecting the 60% increase is based on the high cost of living which can not be addressed by a 60% increment but rather a higher figure, pegging salaries at par with the United States dollar value.
“the 60% COLA offered is mediocre and insufficient to meet the current cost of living” said Mugombeyi.
“we maintain our request to have our earnings, which were previously pegged in US dollars, be paid at the prevailing inter market bank rate,” said ZHDA.
Both statements from ZIMTA and ZHDA highlighted the union position regarding the proposed government new salary.
The ZHDA union has however notified that they will be going on industrial strike if their demands are not meet, starting from a designated date.
“Inability to continue subsiding the employer beyond the 3rd of September 2019. Members will therefore be unable to report for duty on the stated date beyond should the employer fail to adjust their earnings accordingly,” added Mukombeyi.
On the second of August this year the ZIMTA C.E.O appeared before the select parliamentary committee on Lobour and Social Welfare and shared some the, teachers position on salaries review plights and constitution aspects that must be honored by the government.
“we are not crying for exquisite treatment we are only crying for fair remuneration,” said ZIMTA.
“we think that if you address the issue of provisions as given in section 65 of our constitution subsection one, section 65 subsection four the constitution should ensures that workers are given a fair remuneration,” added ZIMTA.
The Apex Council which is the mother body for workers union, on the 23rd of August convened for a meeting and agreed that a remuneration should be pegged at $4 750 for the least paid worker rather than the government increment of $1 023 from $582.
“The offer does not meet the started position of the workers, which is pegged d at $4 750 for the least paid civil servant,” said Apex Council.
Workers’ unions groups have been protesting over the unsustainable remuneration, as witnessed by Amalgamated Rural Teacher’s Union, demonstration dedicating once in a month a day of mourning their salaries unknown as Pay Day Funeral.
Sadc news