Civil servants will report for duty twice a week starting this coming Monday in protest of a 25 percent upward adjustment offer by government which still fall far below their demands, the Zimbabwe Confederation of Public Sector Trade Unions (ZCPSTU) has said.
Civil servants are pushing for a wage restoration to pre-October 2018 levels yet government has previously stated that it cannot sustain such a wage bill.
Now, in a letter directed to the Public Service Commission, the public workers’ representative body has declared incapacitation and vowed to go-slow while negotiations take place.
“Following an offer of 25 percent of one’s current earnings which the Government brought on the negotiating table in the previous NJNC meeting set to be effected on 1 April 2021, which proved to be incapable of addressing civil servants capacity to execute their duties, ZCPSTU representing all member unions do here by notify your august office that all civil servants will, starting on 12 April 2021 report for duty twice a week,” reads the letter.
Furthermore, ZCPSTU is fast losing confidence in the National Joint Negotiating Council (NJNC) citing the employer’s unilateral implementation of offers not agreed upon in the negotiating processes.
“This resolution passed on by the full ZCPSTU council is informed by the following; the prevailing economic situation no longer resonates well with the civil servants ‘salaries, the employer takes longer in responding to workers plight whilst they languish in acute poverty, the employer is making unilateral decisions in implanting offers that are not agreed upon in the NJNC rendering the negotiation process invalid,”
Government however insists that negotiations under the NJNC will continue until both parties reach mutual agreement despite last week’s deadlock.
“While continuing with the crucial negotiations, Government wishes to implement payment of increments from what is immediately available to support its workforce, without prejudice to the negotiating process, which must continue,” Public Service Commission (PSC) chairperson Ambassador Jonathan Wutawunashe said last week.
The wage gridlock between the two parties has been going on for more than two years now with no solution in sight given dwindling government revenue in real terms as the local currency continues to lose value.
