THE government should honour pay dates of employees because failing to do so was tantamount to taking them for granted.
STEPHEN CHADENGA OWN CORRESPONDENT Richard Gundane, chairperson of the Apex Council, an umbrella body of all civil servants’ unions, said on the sidelines of National Public Servants’ Day commemorations in Shurugwi last Friday that unions had taken the government to task on delays in paying salaries.
“We have taken the government to task over salaries delays to the extent that they now had to gazette new dates because we have said it is not good to keep people guessing when they were going to get their payments,” Gundane said.
“The issue of pay dates should not be left to chance and workers should not be left guessing. We are aware that it (the government) is now going to be coming with new dates, which dates I believe have already been gazetted. If not, they will be gazetted shortly.”
Since the beginning of this year, civil servants’ pay dates have been constantly changed as the cash-strapped government struggles to meet the huge wage bill which gobbles up about 70% of the government’s monthly revenue.
Gundane said the government should come up with pay dates it can honour and pay salaries without delay. He also dismissed rumours that teachers were not going to be paid during school holidays.
“Last Friday (June 20) we were in a joint negotiating council meeting with the government. It indicated that the issue of teachers not being paid during holidays was just a rumour circulating on social media,” he added.
