THE MDC-T has claimed Zanu PF is blocking efforts to improve civil service salaries by holding onto diamond sales proceeds and refusing to purge the government payroll of an estimated 75 000 ghost workers.
State workers started a week-long strike across the country Monday to demand a doubling of their basic wages to about $538 a month for the lowest paid workers.
The job action followed a break-down in talks with Public Service minister, Lucia Matibenga.
The government insists it does not have the resources to meet the wage demands with Finance Minister Tendai Biti warning that salaries alone were already accounting for more than 60 percent of overall expenditure.
But President Robert Mugabe has accused Biti – a senior MDC-T official -- of deliberately sabotaging the government by refusing the increases.
However, the MDC-T hit back in a statement Monday and blamed its coalition partners for the crisis.
“The MDC is aware and sympathetic to the plight of civil servants,” the party said.
“It remains a concern that Zanu PF continues to hold back on those national resources that should benefit the generality of Zimbabweans.
“The MDC knows that if certain actions are taken, funds will be available to give civil servants a living wage.”
The party claimed revenues to from diamond sales were not being remitted to the treasury adding little progress had also been made in ridding the government payroll of “ghost workers”, many of them said to be Zanu PF activists added by the party over the last few years.
“The MDC believes that it is possible to raise the (necessary) funds if diamond revenues are remitted to treasury; if 75 000 ghost workers are removed immediately from the government payroll; earnings from millions of dollars in police coffers earned through fines; a drastic cut-back of the run-away government foreign travel expenses; and revenue from all mining concessions which are yet to be deposited in the government account,” the party said.
“It is unfortunate that Zanu PF has taken the issue as a political tool to further their unfounded claims.
“That party cannot today claim to care for the welfare of civil servants when they are the ones who run down and (undermined) the efforts of these dedicated men and women – some of whom they have turned into political stooges.”
Biti announced during his 2012 national budget statement that he had been promised US$600 million from diamond sales by Mines Minister, Obert Mpofu.
Prime Minister, Morgan Tsvangirai later said the additional funds could be used to improve state workers salaries although Biti had already allocated the money to various infrastructure projects as well as the constitutional referendum and new elections expected this year.