Civil servants have started receiving part of their annual bonuses as the Government fulfils its pledge to pay the workforce a 13th cheque.
Since last Friday, The Herald observed that banks and major supermarkets were a hive of activity as civil servants withdrew their bonuses and went shopping.
The Government announced that it would start paying bonuses in November, with the security services in the first batch of workers to receive the payments, followed by health sector employees, those in education and the rest of the civil service.
As was the case last year, traditional leaders and their messengers will also receive annual bonuses.
“We agreed that bonuses were going to be spread over two months, that was the initial plan that we made and agreed upon,” said Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare, Mr Simon Masanga, in an interview yesterday.
In a separate interview, Zimbabwe Confederation of Public Sector Trade Unions (ZCPSTU) president, Mrs Cecelia Alexander, confirmed that civil servants had started receiving their bonuses.
She said the uniformed forces were the first to receive their 13th cheques, with teachers expected to start receiving theirs this week.
“Yes, civil servants have started receiving their bonuses, members of the uniformed forces were the first to receive and we are expecting teachers to start receiving their portion this week,” she said.
Mrs Alexander commended Government for remaining true to its promise to pay its workers a bonus.
“We are happy with what Government has done because they did what they said they would do during the National Joint Negotiating Council meeting,” she said.
Government, which made an undertaking to improve the conditions of service of public sector workers subject to the availability of resources, has over the years unveiled various incentives that include affordable transport, housing and a rebate on duty on motor vehicles.
Relations between the Government and civil servants have also markedly improved owing to the commitment and preparedness by both parties to engage in dialogue.
In Bulawayo, our sister paper, Chronicle, reported that the security and health sectors had started receiving part of their annual bonus last week.
Said Apex Council secretary-general, Mr David Dzatsunga: “Yes, civil servants started receiving their bonuses, the 50 percent as mentioned by the Government. Uniformed forces got theirs today and the next will be education and the last will be the rest of the civil servants. We appreciate that civil servants got their bonuses but there is a lot that needs to be done to improve their welfare. Come next year we will continue to engage the Government so that we get to US$840 that we want.”
This month, civil servants will receive the first bonus payment being 50 percent, which is being paid together with November salaries and the remainder will be paid in December.
The split is meant to ease pressure on the banking system and minimise long queues.
