Civil servants’ unions and organisations under the Apex Council on Monday snubbed an urgent meeting called by the Ministry of Labour to discuss pay dates for government workers following a proposal to shift pay days for the month of June.
Progressive Teachers’ Union of Zimbabwe (PTUZ) general secretary Raymond Majongwe said they did not attend the meeting because the government chose to invite them through a telephone call, instead of using formal channels.
“We sent a clear message to this government that we are not happy, that they invited us to attend a government meeting through a telephone call. We are a body that can articulate and represent itself, so we are simply saying to the government don’t treat us as if we are passengers on this seat. We are stakeholders and we deserve our respect,” Majongwe said.
The meeting convened by the Ministry of Labour was to be attended by officials from the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe, Ministry of Finance, Civil Service Commission and representatives of civil servants.
Last week Friday, the government announced new pay dates indicating that the Zimbabwe National Army and Air Force of Zimbabwe are expected to be paid on June 27, the police on June 30, while the education sector has been slotted for July 7.
The health sector and the rest of civil servants are expected to get their salaries on July 14 and pensioners’ pay day is July 19.
On whether civil servants will engage in an industrial action if they are not paid by the end of this month, Majongwe said, “I want to assure government that if they have not seen what they see, then they will never see anything. We are people who are slowly getting tired.”
Studio 7 failed to reach Labour Minister Priscah Mupfumira for a comment.
