Harare, Zimbabwe – The Minister of Finance, Professor Mthuli Ncube, has pledged to increase civil servants' salaries in the local currency, RTGS, starting in September. This announcement was made during a meeting held today with government employees. In attendance was the Minister of Labour, Professor Paul Mavima, and the President of the Zimbabwe Confederation of Public Sector Unions, Mrs Cecilia Alexander.
In a statement to the media, Mrs Alexander conveyed that Mr Ncube acknowledged the government's current inability to provide US dollars for salaries, opting instead to increase payments in the local currency. Efforts to obtain comments from Mr Ncube and Professor Mavima were unsuccessful.
The promise of a salary increase comes at a time when civil servants are expressing grave concerns over the diminishing purchasing power of their RTGS salaries. The escalating cost of goods and rampant inflation has left many struggling to make ends meet.
The Zimbabwe National Statistics Agency (Zimstat) recently reported that inflation soared to 256.9 per cent last month. Despite a 100% salary increment awarded to workers at the end of the previous month, employees argue that the raise has done little to alleviate their financial woes due to the ongoing depreciation of the Zimbabwean dollar.
The meeting between government officials and public sector representatives highlights the urgent need for measures to address the economic challenges faced by civil servants. As inflation continues to erode the value of their earnings, there is mounting pressure on the government to find sustainable solutions to stabilise the economy and improve the livelihoods of its workforce.
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