The Sunday News
THE Government will stagger bonus pay for civil servants, with uniformed forces set to get their 13th Cheque at the end of this month.
In a telephone interview yesterday, Minister of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare, Cde Prisca Mupfumira, said the civil servants’ bonus issue was not “a question of if, but when, it would be paid”.
Cde Mupfumira said the payment dates for the rest of the civil servants would be discussed in Cabinet on Tuesday, after which an official announcement will be made. She, however, said due to revenue constraints Government is facing, indications are that the bonus payment for the remaining civil servants maybe staggered until January.
This brings relief to anxious civil servants who have been pinning their hopes on President Mugabe’s promise earlier this year.
President Mugabe, in April, dismissed plans by the Minister of Finance and Economic Development, Cde Patrick Chinamasa, to suspend civil servants’ bonus for two years due to dwindling revenues. Yesterday Cde Mupfumira reiterated that, despite facing financial constraints, Government would remain guided by what President Mugabe said.
“The uniformed forces will get their bonuses in November. As you know I don’t deal with uniformed forces, but the (Civil Service Commission) chairperson (Dr Mariyawanda Nzuwa) has confirmed this to me. For the other civil servants, the proposal is that we stagger payment because we don’t have the money to pay everyone at once. The proposal will be brought before Cabinet most likely on Tuesday, after which we will be in a position to announce the actual dates of payment. Nothing has changed from the statement made by His Excellency in April and we stand guided by that. Yes we are facing financial problems but we have to work out ways of making sure that our workers smile.”
Civil servants yesterday welcomed Cde Mupfumira’s assurance, but expressed reservations on the proposal to stagger payment of bonuses. Apex council (civil servants’ umbrella body) chairperson Mr Richard Gundani implored Government to pay bonus to all civil servants before the end of the year. He said civil servants bonus should be considered in the 2016 budget, whose consultations are underway, to avoid a repeat of debating bonus payment towards the end of the year.
“Our expectations are that we must get our bonuses at the end of each year. It’s our entitlement. So it’s a good and welcome development that what the President assured us is becoming reality. What I would, however, like to implore Government is to make sure that it covers everyone in November and December before the year ends. In the planning for the 2016 budget Government should include civil servants bonuses such that we won’t have to again discuss bonuses towards the end of the year like we are doing now,” he said.
Last year Government had promised to pay civil servants bonuses at once but ended up staggering the payment due to cash flow challenges. Some Government workers received their 13th cheque as late as January this year. The Government is also looking at ways of cutting the public service wage bill which chews the biggest chunk of revenue.
