All the civil servants’ unions that attended an Apex Council meeting Thursday officially agreed to end a three-day industrial action by the end of business Thursday in order to give chance to dialogue with the employer.
Apex council spokesperson George Mushipe, who is also the president of the Zimbabwe Democratic Teachers’ Union, said the government has invited them to a meeting next Monday to discuss various issues, among them the payment of July salaries.
“I was informed by my president Mrs. (Cecilia) Alexander that the government has invited us to a National Joint Negotiating Council meeting on Monday. I think that’s where we will discuss the July salaries,” Mushipe said.
This means that it will be business as usual at most government institutions except at government hospitals where doctors announced that they will continue with their strike despite the fact that they will get paid Friday.
Zimbabwe Hospital Doctors Association told Studio 7 that they were still consulting with their members on the way forward since they are yet to get official confirmation that they were now getting paid Thursday.
Sources told Studio 7 that the workers’ representatives who attended the Apex Council meeting made it clear that their members will go back on strike if they fail to get their July salaries before the 1st of August.
Teachers were paid June salaries on the 7th as was promised by the government while workers in the health sector were set to get theirs on the 8th instead of the 14th of this month as previously announced.
He added that civil servants were struggling to survive because of the late payment of their June salaries, a fact the government should consider.
