Harare, June 17 — Clobbered into submission by simmering discontent among its civil servants, the Zimbabwean government today offered what it branded a COVID-19 allowance of 75 USD and a fifty percent salary hike to its workforce of over 500,000.
All government pensioners will also be paid a COVID-19 allowance of 30 USD on top of their 600 Zimbabwean dollars monthly payout, about 24 USD at the official exchange rate with the USD.
The monthly wages for the Southern African government workers have also been revised upwards by 50 percent, but remain in the local currency which is fast deteriorating in value against the USD.
Officially, 1 USD is equal to 25 Zimbabwean dollars, but trading at 1 USD at the equivalence of 82 Zimbabwean dollars on the parallel market, popularly known as the black market.
Zimbabwe’s lowest-paid government worker before the recent increment earned 2,033 Zimbabwean dollars, which would mean after the latest pay rise, a lowest-paid government worker would now earn 3,050 Zimbabwean dollars.
Inflation is hovering around 765 percent in this country, according to statistics from the Zimbabwe National Statistics Agency (ZIMSTAT), the statistics agency of Zimbabwe.
Confirming the development, Nick Mangwana, the Zimbabwean government spokesperson, said ‘with immediate effect, all civil servants’ salaries will be adjusted upwards by 50 percent. Additionally, all civil servants are to be paid a flat non-taxable COVID-19 allowance of 75 USD. All government pensioners are to be paid a COVID-19 30 USD allowance.’
Despite the government announcement of the latest adjustments, Zimbabwe’s civil servants including police and army officers were today shocked to find their June salaries had been slashed, triggering tensions in the public service sector.
Ordinary Zimbabweans have taken the recent wages adjustment with a pinch of salt.
Commenting on Twitter, one DocLawo, wrote ‘a regime with an insatiable appetite to loot can never pay more than 300,000 workers a monthly cushion of $USD75 in an economy that is not producing. Mark this tweet. This is another lie…’
Trade unions in the country are equally displeased by the recent developments because they were taken by surprise.
“Just on the 28th of May 2020, there was an undertaking from government that they would refrain from policy pronouncement without involvement of the TNF (Tripartite Negotiating Forum (TNF). The government has just dropped a bombshell, announcing civil servants incomes with far-reaching implications, minus the involvement of the TNF,” said Japhet Moyo, Secretary-General of the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU).
Enacted by the Parliament and the President of Zimbabwe in 2019, TNF is a platform that brings together government, business, and labor to discuss challenges affecting the country.
