SPECULATION is swirling that the cash-strapped government will be unable to pay a 13th cheque to the rest of the civil servants after paying bonuses to the armed forces, as the liquidity crunch intensifies.
RICHARD MUPONDE SENIOR REPORTER
Soldiers were paid their bonuses last month.
Swirling rumours that the rest of the civil service would not get bonuses could lead to disgruntlement among the majority of government workers.
Some trade unions representing civil servants yesterday confirmed the increasing speculation of no bonus payments this year and said they were seeking clarity from the government.
Zimbabwe Teachers’ Association chief executive officer Sifiso Ndlovu said they had heard the rumours that the government would not be able to pay bonuses to the remaining civil servants.
“I have heard of the rumours that the government has indicated that it won’t be able to pay bonuses to the rest of the civil servants. However, as an organisation, we have written a letter to the Labour and Social Welfare minister Nicholas Goche seeking clarification on the matter,” Ndlovu said.
Raymond Majongwe, secretary-general of the Progressive Teachers’ Union of Zimbabwe (PTUZ), said although he heard the rumours, he had been assured by government officials that they would get their bonuses this month.
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“I heard the rumours. I will not even talk about it. Rumours run riot, especially when information is starved. However, I met government officials and they assured us that we will get our bonuses in December,” Majongwe said.
“As PTUZ, we are not going to sleep over this issue of bonuses. We need them.”
Southern Eye is reliably informed that nurses were told they were not getting bonuses this month amid reports that the Zimbabwe Nurses’ Association leadership met over the issue in Harare on Tuesday.
Information on what transpired at the meeting was not forthcoming. The government started paying out bonuses to civil servants with soldiers getting their 13th cheque two weeks ago.
Reports say the rest of the civil service would be paid their bonuses this month.
