No Joy for Zimbabwe Workers as Employers Fail to Pay Bonuses
The Progressive Teachers Union of Zimbabwe told Studio 7 it is seeking an urgent meeting with government representatives to address the issue of bonuses.
WASHINGTON DC — It’s Christmas eve, the day when families are normally tying the loose ends as they prepare to spend Christmas with loved ones. But the majority of Zimbabwe’s civil servants are complaining that their employer has treated them badly this festive season since many are going for the holidays without their 13 check. Angry with the developments, the Progressive Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (PTUZ) told Studio 7 it is seeking an urgent meeting with government representatives to address the issue of bonuses. PTUZ secretary general Raymond Majongwe said the government has largely ignored them over the issue with most civil servants having to read about their fate in the media. He said workers have been angered by the mixed conflicting information on bonuses emanating from government corridors. The newly-appointed Labour Minister Priscah Mupfumira Wednesday told the state-controlled and Zanu Pf leaning Chronicle newspaper that the government will this month pay the majority of the civil servants their bonuses while the rest will be paid end of January, contradicting information from former Deputy Labour Minister, Tongai Muzenda. Studio 7 failed to reach Mrs. Mupfumira or Finance Minister Patrick Chinamasa for comment. The government has already announced that it does not have enough money to pay bonuses. But Majongwe told Sudio 7 that unless the outstanding issues of 2014 are addressed including bonuses, teachers would not report for work in 2015. At the same time, president of the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions George Nkiwane said it is sad that the majority of workers including those in the private sector did not get bonuses this festive season.