CIVIL SERVANTS WALLOW IN POVERTY newsdzeZimbabweNewsdzeZimbabwe

CIVIL SERVANTS WALLOW IN POVERTY newsdzeZimbabweNewsdzeZimbabwe

Civil servants are suffering from poverty and financial desperation, as a result of broken promises by President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s government, Newsday reports.

Government employees are struggling to survive Salaries damaged by inflation.

Their representatives painted a bleak picture as Zimbabweans prepare to join the world in commemorating May Day tomorrow. They lamented that government promises including providing solar power systems and 500,000 housing units as part of its non-cash benefits were not fulfilled.

The government also pledged to pay employees a living wage, among other commitments.

This led to a mass exodus of skilled workers, who chose menial foreign jobs because of their poor wages at home.

Reports indicated that the civil service has lost more than 5,000 staff to the UK while other countries such as South Africa, Australia and New Zealand continue to lure Zimbabwean workers.

The government’s chief negotiator in wage negotiations, Nobert Mashingeke, said yesterday that the employer would continue to engage workers in a bid to improve their wages and non-cash benefits.

“We have all committed to continued engagement with workers, and I am pleased that we have achieved a tough pay-to-profit framework.

“It is also important that we agree with the workers that our wage framework is also competitive in the region, but we are working together to identify the key issues that will make government employees receive satisfactory earnings,” he said.

However, Zimbabwe Federation of Public Sector Trade Unions president David Dzatsonga yesterday told NewsDay there was concern that government promises were not being kept.

We have seen that there is no interest from the government in addressing our issues. We heard that the government wanted to install solar panels for civil servants in their homes in 2022, but that never happened.

“There is also the issue of hierarchy, civil servants at the lowest rank have not benefited at all. Then there is the issue of housing which we believe the government has the capacity to provide land or facilities that can allow civil servants to have their own homes. But,” Dzatsonga said. “That didn’t happen either.”

He said the government must fulfill its obligations and prioritize the welfare of civil servants.

President of the Association of Medical and Dental Practitioners of Zimbabwe, Johannes Marissa, said the general working conditions of the country’s workforce were deplorable.

“There is poor infrastructure and we are appealing to the government to improve conditions for health workers. Health workers do not have adequate housing and decent transportation; they need vehicles,” said Marissa.

Health workers also expressed their regret The government’s decision to prevent group work, especially by health workers.

“We were supposed to go on strike early this month over our poor wages, but the Zimbabwe Nurses Association later told us that the government had banned the strike and we feel let down given the nature of our work. We believe we should get fair wages,” they said.

Zimbabwe Amalgamated Rural Teachers Union president Obert Masarore has accused Mnangagwa’s administration of using alleged military tactics, citing the leadership’s deployment of tactics in dealing with labor disputes.

“The government of Zimbabwe under the leadership of Emmerson Mnangagwa is worse than the government of Rhodesia and Mugabe combined. The military government deploys leadership tactics in dealing with labor disputes. The constitution stipulates in Article 65 the right to fair pay and the right to participate in work. It cannot be withdrawn,” he said. These rights are granted by some individuals who only have a five-year term.”

Public Service International (PSI) Sub-Regional Secretary for South Africa, Tishaona Vambisa, called on the government to prioritize investment in the public service sector.

“The government of Zimbabwe must ensure that it invests more in the public service so that public sector workers and health workers can receive decent salaries and fail to find reasons to migrate,” Vambisa said.

Calls for industrial action continue to grow among civil servants, but the government has been strict and enforces a “no work, no pay” policy on civil servants who participate in illegal demonstrations or stay away. Newsday




Source link

Previous post HOSPITAL’S ONLY XRAY MACHINE BROKEN FOR EIGHT YEARS newsdzeZimbabweNewsdzeZimbabwe
Next post OUT NOW

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *