afrol News, 22 July - The Harare government has announced wage increases for civil servants following the allocation of $151 million for civil service salaries last Thursday. Civil servants earn an average salary of $100 a month.

The Public Service Minister, Eliphas Mukonoweshuro, who could not indicate how much the lowest paid civil servant should expect, said the government has increased the wages by an average scale of 55 percent.

He said the salary increment is a promissory note that the government is moving towards improving extremely low civil servants salaries. “We are mobile. We are moving. It shows that better times lie ahead,” said Minister Mukonoweshuro.

He said workers would start getting their money from Monday next week, further warning businesses to desist from increasing prices of goods and services as civil servants salaries improve.

The minister also said a tax-free threshold of US$150 would be maintained and medical aid would be provided by Premier Services Medical Aid Society with the same conditions that applied before the shelving of the Zimbabwe dollar.

“The medical aid scheme will also be full to include all the conditions as before. It will cover the employee, spouse and three other beneficiaries,” he told local media.

He said the latest salary structure would absorb 52 percent of the US$1 billion 2009 national budget but said that government felt the increases were necessary to motivate and retain essential staff.

Since February this year, after the formation of the unity government, the Zimbabwe government has been paying civil servants a flat monthly allowance of $100 after ditching its own currency.

The new salary hike will cost the government $526 million raising up from US$375 million.

By staff writer

© afrol News

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