Harare, (New Ziana)-The Minister of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs, Ziyambi Ziyambi, has said there is currently no urgent need for the government to adjust cost of living allowances for civil servants, citing stable inflation and a resilient local currency.
Ziyambi said this while responding to concerns raised by legislators regarding the erosion of public sector salaries in the face of rising living costs in his capacity as the leader of government business.
“Perhaps, let me preface by saying that there has not been a general increase in prices in this country. Statistics that we have on inflation do not indicate that. Even our currency is very stable, and the prices have largely not risen to levels that we can say indicate that we need a cost-of-living adjustment,” he said.
Ziyambi’s remarks come amid growing pressure from civil servants and labour unions, who argue that salaries have failed to keep pace with the cost of essential goods and services, including housing, transport, and food.
Teachers, nurses, and other public sector workers have periodically voiced frustration over the government’s delay in adjusting salaries upwards.
However, Ziyambi reiterated that salary negotiations are ongoing within the framework of the Tripartite Negotiation Forum (TNF), a platform comprising government, labour, and business representatives.
“That is the forum that we believe is the legitimate forum that we should use to negotiate for salaries. We award salaries on the basis of the outcome of those negotiations. So that is what we are doing, and we believe that once it is concluded, an announcement is going to be made,” he said.
The TNF, mandated to promote inclusive dialogue on socio-economic matters, has in recent years struggled to produce timely resolutions, raising concerns over its effectiveness.
Representatives from the Zimbabwe Confederation of Public Sector Trade Unions (ZCPSTU) have previously called for the urgent review of wages, arguing that the majority of civil servants live below the poverty line.
New Ziana
