By John Ikani
Zimbabwe has taken steps to improve the welfare of civil servants by awarding them a 100% salary increment, government-owned daily, The Herald reports.
The salary hike, however, barely keeps up with Zimbabwe’s soaring inflation rate, currently at 92.3%.
In other words, it is barely enough to cover the surge in shop prices.
The finance ministry issued a statement revealing the pay review, which includes an enhanced $250 Covid-19 allowance for all civil servants and an $80 monthly allowance for teachers.
A finance ministry official quoted in the report stated that the security sector would receive the increment on March 1st while the rest of the civil service would start getting it from April 1st.
A representative of the teachers’ union interviewed by The Herald commented that the salary increment was “exciting” but pointed out that the increment in Covid-19 allowance was still not sufficient.
In addition, a nurses association representative indicated that further talks would be held on Wednesday to discuss the allowance.
In 2020, Zimbabwe’s healthcare sector was paralyzed for over four months due to a doctors’ strike, and the government cited the inability to increase salaries as the reason for the strike.