Civil servants have in the past gone on strike demanding more pay.
WASHINGTON DC —
Civil servants’ associations on Wednesday finally agreed on the composition of the nine-member Apex Council that will represent workers in salary negotiations with state representatives.
Zimbabwe Teachers Association president Richard Gundani took over the Apex Council chairmanship of the council from College Lecturers Association president David Dzatsunga. Dzatsunga voluntarily left his position to allow progress in the protracted negotiations.
Gundani will be deputized by Public Service Association president Cecilia Alexander with Teachers’ Union of Zimbabwe chief executive Manuel Nyawo as secretary.
ZIMTA and the Public Service Association have each contributed two members while the Progressive Teachers Union of Zimbabwe, Teachers Union of Zimbabwe, College Lecturers Association of Zimbabwe, Profession and Technical Officers Association and the Civil Service Employees Association each provided one member.
These names will now be forwarded to the National Joint Negotiating Council as recommended by government. The negotiating team was drawn from all the 12 workers’ unions with some coming in as alternate members.
The unions were given 48 hours by the government to put their house in order and come up with a team of negotiators after previous similar meetings failed to yield positive results.
Salary negotiations for government workers were for the past two and a half years affected by squabbling in the unions representing civil servants.
PTUZ general secretary Raymond Majongwe was happy with the outcome of the meeting. “ … We were able to broker our own peace,” Majongwe said.
