Zimbabwe’s Government has announced that the Country’s Public Servants will only be paid for the days they actually turn up for work unless they have a legitimate excuse, a decision that is set to widen the rift between the State and its employees.
Secretary of the Public Services Commission (PSC), Jonathan Wutawunashe (pictured) said Ministries should keep clear records and indicate cases where workers were officially excused from the workplace.
“All Ministries must now have attendance registers that will be submitted monthly to the Salary Service Bureau (SSB) for payment processing,” Mr Wutawunashe said.
“The SSB has been instructed to process salary payments for Civil Servants strictly on the basis of work attendance registers submitted by Government Ministries and Departments,” he said.
While this directive may at first sight seem a no-brainer, Public Servants list a number of hurdles to getting to work ranging from non-existent transport to extreme poverty.
Public Servants and the Government have been at loggerheads over salary increases, with monthly pay for most pegged at a minimum of US$540 ($A737).
The Government remains adamant it does not have the capacity for further increases.
The militant Amalgamated Rural Teachers Union of Zimbabwe and the Progressive Teachers Union of Zimbabwe have vowed their members will not return to classrooms as they are incapacitated due to low salaries.
The confrontation was inflamed when Secretary of the Ministry of Education, Tumisang Thabela told them to borrow money to get to work.
Most Public Servants have resorted to engaging in personal business activities to supplement their salaries, resulting in only a few reporting for duty.
Members of the public seeking service in Government Departments have made repeated complaints that officers are insisting on bribes before any assistance is provided.
Harare, 13 September 2021
