Govt Assures Civil Servants On Bonus
5 September 2021
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THE Government has assured civil servants that they will receive their bonus for this year while it also keeps on improving conditions of service and provision of other non-monetary benefits.

The Government  pays bonus to its workers in phases with the first group getting it in November while  other workers are paid in December. There are doubts among companies, especially in the private sector, on whether they will be able to pay the 13th cheque as production has been severely affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.

However, the Government, with two months before the traditional bonus month of November, has assured its workers that the money will be paid on time. In an interview in Bulawayo yesterday, Finance and Economic Development Minister Professor Mthuli Ncube said civil servants should expect their bonus on time.

“There is always a 13th cheque for civil servants, always, so they can expect one, we have not changed that. It will be paid on time,” he said.

In addition, since January, the Government has been making regular salary adjustments to its employees while pension payouts have also been adjusted to cushion pensioners. In July civil servants received a salary increase of between 45 and 50 percent.

The increase came after, in April, the Government had made another increase of 25 percent in addition to a host of non-monetary benefits. The Government has also indicated that it will soon meet civil servants’ representatives to discuss new salary levels and other non-monetary issues.

“There are loans that have been available to civil servants so that they can start businesses, there was also a vehicle scheme to import vehicles duty free, it has been rolling for about 10 years and is pending renewal. We are also looking at the issue of housing. We are working on providing civil servants with accommodation and this is gradually happening,” said Deputy Minister for Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare, Cde Lovemore Matuke in an interview earlier.

He said some of the options for improving the welfare of teachers and other workers were to come from the unions that represent the civil servants themselves as they know and understand what is best for them. The Apex Council representatives, who represent civil servants, said they were impressed with the salary increments for civil servants as the Government had kept its promise of improving the lives and welfare of its workers.

-State Media