The Apex Council has rejected the governments’ USD allowances and 50% salary hike offer to civil servants saying it was not a product of negotiations, NewsDay reports.
In a statement released today, Apex Council chairperson Cecilia Alexander said;
Matters to do with conditions of service have to be a product of consultations between social partners at forums provided for at law. No party should unilaterally decide for others as is the case here.
Apex council stands by its position paper that it presented to the NJNC (National Joint Negotiating Council) demanding that salaries be paid in USD and that the figure be a product of negotiations.
…The civil service Apex council appreciates the government’s efforts to address the plight of its workers, and the acknowledgement though belated, that the economy has dollarised and so should salaries. This, therefore, buttresses our call for an urgent NJNC to deliberate on salaries and conditions of workers in order to co-own the outcomes as demanded for at the law.
The government offered civil servants a 50% salary hike and USD$75 allowance which will be deposited into their Nostro accounts. Meanwhile, ZCTU, Doctors and nurses also rejected the government’s offer as they said it was not sufficient to address the workers’ plights.
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