Own Correspondent|The Apex council, a representative umbrella body representing civil servants has taken a swipe at government’s decision to retire at least 3000 youth officers who were retired on the basis that their wage bill was a burden to the fiscus as it gobbles $1.15 million a month.
The Apex council accused government of not following proper labour law procedure in regards termination of employment and retrenchment as enshrined in the constitution.
The council however ignored to consider how the youth were engaged into government service in the first place.
In a statement released by the Apex council over the weekend, government must have issued a notice given to the affected youth officers .
“It is shocking that government is intending to retire certain categories of civil servants (eg youth officers) by December 31 2018 and that without sufficient notice and against relevant existing status on retrenchment,” the council said.
In his 2018 budget presentation ,finance minister Mthuli Ncube proposed the retirement of close to 3000 youth officers by the end of the year.
Ncube noted that the youth officers‘ wage bill gobbled $1.15 million with each officer taking home $395 as remuneration.
This had become a burden to the fiscus and the termination of the officers will see government saving $13,8 million annually.
Ncube is working in cahoots with the Public Service Commission to accelerate the termination process with a deadline of December 31.
Two years ago, PSC recommended the abolishment of positions of youth officers in the Ministry of Indigenisation and Economic Empowerment, which was then under Patrick Zhuwao arguing that that most of them were gainfully employed somewhere and were therefore double dipping..
Eyebrows were raised again after a 2016 audit by the PSC revealed that there was no single project which these youth officers initiated in their respective areas despite being on the government pay roll.
“During the audit, evidence gathered indicated that youth officers claim ownership of projects initiated and managed by other extension workers at ward level,” the 2016 report by PSC read.
“In rural wards, most youth officers operate in the same ward where there are extension workers from several other ministries,” read part of the report then.
Ncube’s proposal is therefore among the raft of cost cutting measures that characterised his maiden budget presentation.