Zim announces salary increase

THE Zimbabwe government has announced a salary increment for its workers to cushion them from the rising cost of living.

Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare Minister Sekai Nzenza told a press conference on Wednesday the government had offered a costof-living adjustment of $400million (R1.9 billion) to be effected across the board for all members of the public service with effect from April 1.

The increment came after protracted negotiations between the government and its workers, resulting in teachers briefly downing tools. Nzenza said the government will review the salary of its workers in June.

Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube said the increment put the salary of its lowest paid worker on a par with the poverty line. He said the latest salary increase did not change the ratio of government wage bill to the national budget, as salaries continue to take up 90% of the budget.

He added that the government would continue to guard against having more funds going towards civil servants’ salaries.

Chairperson of the Public Service Commission Vincent Hungwe said the government would continue to work towards provision of non-monetary incentives to its workers in order to improve working conditions. Zimbabwe has experienced an increase in prices of most basic commodities in recent weeks. Since the introduction of the inter-bank foreign exchange market on February 22, the local currency had remained steady at 2.50 to the US dollar until last week when it plunged to $3 to the greenback. | Xinhua