Faced with having many financial and operational challenges, the National Railways of Zimbabwe (NRZ) has introduced a US$200 allowance for employees, on top of their normal salaries paid in local currency.

Giving oral evidence to the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Transport and Infrastructure Development on Monday NRZ General Manager Ms Respina Zinyanduko said the parastatal may not be competing with other private companies in terms of salary figures, but their employees were grateful for the cushion.

Ms Zinyanduko said social and mainstream media reports that her company was at loggerheads with its employees over a number of issues including unilateral dismissals non-payment of salaries were a mere creation of dismissed workers.

“NRZ is not in dispute with its employees who are in service, if you check our records we are paying our salaries on time. We don’t have enough money to pay or compete with other private companies but we are however paying US$200 in allowances over and above their RTGS salaries all meant to cushion our employees. Given the history of NRZ where they are coming from, the employees are grateful even though not fully satisfied because they always expect better,” said Ms Zinyanduko.

A number of quasi-Government organisations have taken to cushioning their employees with USD allowances, taking a leaf from central Government who took the lead by introducing USD allowances for civil servants, initially starting as Covid-19 allowances. —Chronicle