Zimbabwean Civil Servants Stage Sit-in Protest Over Bonuses
Government has failed to pay civil servants their 2016 bonuses due to a lack of funds. An offer to substitute the bonus with land was rejected by unions
HARARE — Zimbabwean government workers, including thousands of teachers, were due to stage a sit-in protest over unpaid bonuses on Monday ahead of a meeting with authorities, union leaders said. Doctors called off a planned strike on Sunday after government approved increased allowances and created 250 new jobs, the same day President Robert Mugabe returned from medical leave in Singapore. "Our agreed position is we report for duty but sit-in," said Raymond Majongwe, a member of the Progressive Teachers Union of Zimbabwe. However, Reuters saw signs the work boycott was not being adhered to everywhere. At the government registry in the capital Harare, officials were issuing passports and birth certificates as normal, while teachers taught lessons at schools in the city center. Public Service Minister Prisca Mupfumira said at the weekend government inspectors would visit offices to check on workers. The Apex Council, the top civil service union, was due to meet government officials from 12 p.m. (1000 GMT). The southern African nation has failed to pay civil servants their 2016 bonuses due to a lack of funds. An offer to substitute the bonus with land was rejected by unions. Last July government operations were brought to a halt after a public sector strike coincided with a stay at home rallying call by social media groups.