The government grants civil servants a 20% salary increase
BY NQOBANI NDLOVU
PRESIDENT Emmerson Mnangagwa has ordered wayward civil servants to be given a 20% salary increase plus US$100 from next month and other non-monetary benefits such as payment of school fees for their children.
The latest offer announced by the government on Tuesday night comes after teachers refused to report for work on Monday when schools reopened for term one citing incapacity.
Teachers and other civil servants demanded salaries in US dollars before 2018 when they earned more than US$500.
#Latest
🔴After low teacher participation in most public schools, the government announced a 20% salary adjustment to the RTGS component for all civil servants. Workers will also receive $100, in addition to the $75 #COVID-19[FEMININE[FEMININE stipend of US$175. pic.twitter.com/5nISW3l2DC— NewsDay Zimbabwe (@NewsDayZimbabwe) February 8, 2022
Fearing that the teachers’ strike could spread to the rest of the civil service, the government said in a statement that Mnangagwa had ordered state workers to receive monetary and non-monetary benefits.
“A 20% increase in the wage component of the Zimbabwean dollar with retroactive effect to January 1, 2022 will be implemented at all levels. US$100 per month in hard currency will be paid to each staff member beginning March 1, 2022,” the statement read.
“This will be done by converting a corresponding amount of salary in Zimbabwean dollars into hard currency, bringing the foreign currency amount to $175.”
🔴#Back to school #Day 2
Empty classrooms as teachers defy government orders to report for work. Principals and teachers pleaded “incapacity”, a doublespeak for an unofficial strike.📹 @stozvirevaa pic.twitter.com/k19mffpsZw
— NewsDay Zimbabwe (@NewsDayZimbabwe) February 8, 2022
The government pledged to pay civil servants’ school fees for three of their children, capped at $20,000, provide transportation for teachers and allow them to import duty-free vehicles.
🔴CHAOS characterized the opening day of the first term as schoolchildren from different educational institutions across the country were sent home after teachers and school leaders failed to show up for work due to incapacity. https://t.co/nDCgOiQil8 @wisdomdzungairi
— NewsDay Zimbabwe (@NewsDayZimbabwe) February 8, 2022
Other short- and long-term interventions include ambitious plans to implement a housing loan scheme and build 34,000 teacher accommodation on school premises over the next 5 years.
#Back to school
🔴AMH VOICES: A survey conducted by #NewsDayZim showed low teacher participation in most public schools in high-density suburbs of Harare. pic.twitter.com/fJWqyWtsaT— NewsDay Zimbabwe (@NewsDayZimbabwe) February 7, 2022
“The government remains committed to continuing to improve the conditions of service for teachers and the wider civil service as the economy improves,” the statement added.
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