Harare, (New Ziana) – The government and its employees meet this Friday for the first time this year to discuss welfare issues, parties to the talks have said.

The meeting of the National Joint Negotiating Council (NJNC) comes two days after public service workers gave their employer a seven-day ultimatum to respond to calls for an “overdue” cost of living adjustment or face possible job action.

Civil servants, led by the Zimbabwe Confederation of Public Sector Trade Unions (ZCPSTU), formerly the Civil Service Apex Council, are demanding that government pays them pre-October 2018 salary levels of around US$520 for the lowest paid for workers to earn a decent living.

Currently, the lowest paid civil servant is taking home an equivalent of around US$165.

At their last meeting in December 2020, the two parties agreed to come up with a roadmap towards eventually attaining that goal.

But the ZCPSTU has claimed it has since January requested follow up meetings, which the employer had allegedly failed to convene.

And following Tuesday’s ultimatum, Public Service Commission (PSC) secretary, Ambassador Jonathan Wutawunashe in a notice, said the two parties will meet on Friday.

“The meeting will deliberate on a Cost of Living Adjustment and other matters relating to the welfare of civil servants,” he said.

He said government was committed to “continuous and fruitful engagement with its workers towards improving conditions of service for its valued workforce.”

He said civil servants who had been called up to report for duty, after months of being at home due to the Covid-19 lockdown restrictions were expected to turn up for work.

This includes teachers, with the opening of the first school term next week. “Government will apply the principle of “no work no pay” in respect of civil servants who absent themselves from work, a principle that is fair to clients who are entitled to services, as well as those civil servants who report for work,” Wutawunashe said.

In response, the ZCPSTU said it would consult its members on whether or not to attend the meeting, following reservations of what it termed a threat by the employer to its workers ahead of the talks on the “no work no pay principle.”

“In principle, it shows that the PSC is already aware that its offer will not suffice the demands of its workers, neither shall it speak to the prevailing economic situation,” ZCPSTU president, Cecilia Alexander said.

“It is to this end that as ZCPSTU, we feel that the government has initiated negotiations in bad faith against the principles of fair labour practises.”
New Ziana