During a post-Cabinet media briefing on Tuesday,
Information minister Monica Mutsvangwa said Cabinet had received a report of
the National Joint Negotiating Council (NJNC) held on July 7, 2023, where
government tabled the offer.
Union leaders who spoke to NewsDay said they were not part
of the negotiations after having quit NJNC in 2022 following two years of
fruitless negotiation.
NJNC brings together the government and unions representing
civil servants for negotiations on salaries and conditions of service
Amalgamated Rural Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (Artuz) leader
Obert Masaraure said government was negotiating in bad faith.
“As Artuz, we are further disgusted by this move as it is
ultra vires section 203(2)b, which states that the Public Service Commission,
subject to section 65(5), should be able to fix and regulate conditions of
service, including salaries, allowances and other benefits, of members of the
civil service,” Masaraire said, adding that they wanted US$1 260 as basic
salary.
Educators Union of Zimbabwe secretary-general Tapedza Zhou
said there was no political will on the part of government to improve their
welfare.
Teachers are earning US$250 in allowances plus a Zimdollar
component.
“Failure to convert these allowances to a salary which is
pensionable clearly shows the government’s lack of seriousness on bread and
butter issues,” Zhou said.
Zimbabwe
Confederation of Public Sector Trade Unions secretary-general David Dzatsunga,
however, said they were not sell-outs by taking part in the NJNC.
“We have not seen anything yet that they (other unions)
have negotiated in terms of salaries except that they are negotiating through
the media,” he said.
“As much as they call us sellouts, at least we talk to the
government and get something for the workers.” Newsday
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