Civil servants pay rise now 300pc

Civil servants pay rise now 300pc

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By Staff Reporter

THE government has announced a further 50pc pay rise to civil servants after the matter went to arbitration.

Civil servtants went on strike earlier in the year demanding 600 percent salary adjustments, while doctors and nurses embarked on a parallel strike action demanding 8000 percent.

Public Service Minister Paul Mangwana said the government had agreed to pay the 50pc pay rise on top of the 250pc adjustment awarded earlier this year.

Independent arbitrator Lawrence Gabilo proposed the 50 percent top-up following submissions by both government and civil servants.

"The figure being demanded by the unions would be difficult to implement as this would trigger the inflation to go up considerably and force prices of goods and services to go up in response," Gabilo said.

Zimbabwe has rampant inflation of nearly 600 percent and civil servants said the government's initial offer of 100 percent would set them back in the face of rising costs of goods and services.

Mangwana also revealed that the minimum wages for domestic workers had been increased by over 60 percent following recommendations by the Wages and Salaries Advisory Board.

A grade one gardener now earns $83 000 a month, up from $12 000; a grade two cook/housekeeper now earns a monthly salary of $90 300, up from $13 060.
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