Tendai Matunhu

Civil servants apex council met President Emmerson Mnangagwa yesterday to discuss issues of salary increment and working conditions.

In their meeting last week, the apex council concluded that the Joint Tripatite Negotiating Forum (JTNF) was proving unrewarding to them in terms of salary negotiation. The Apex council, therefore, petitioned President Mnangagwa to meet them. In the petition, they indicated that the civil servants were incapacitated as their salaries have lost purchasing power. They also stated in the petition that the civil servants can no longer discharge their duties efficiently due to lack of medical equipment and wanted President Mnangagwa to intervene so as to avoid strikes. 

Following the submission of the petition, Chief Secretary to the President and Cabinet, Dr Misheck Sibanda invited Apex council to meet President Mnangagwa yesterday. 

President Mnangagwa is a listening President who never turns down people’s plea to meet him. He believes in engagement just like he has done with the business community, youths, students and women whom he has already met. This year he has so far met civic society organisations (CSOs) and church leaders and different political parties in the national dialogue. It is through these engagements that he believes the country can move forward.

Yesterday's meeting with the civil servants Apex Council will determine whether strikes will go on as planned by teachers, nurses and doctors. Apex Council intends to lobby President Mnangagwa for the least paid civil servant to earn a minimum of US$470 or RTGS equivalent based on the prevailing rate on the pay date. They also intend to lobby for the provision of free or at least affordable subsidised accommodation for civil servants and for civil servants children to get free education. Civil servants’ salaries have been eroded by wanton increase of basic goods.

However, Government is doing its best to cushion the workers through monetary and non-monetary incentives.