The Finance Minister Ncube yesterday revealed that the government had started salaries negotiations with the National Joint Negotiating Council and he expected that the negotiations will be done in 2 months time, The Herald reports. Ncube promised that they were considering what he called a layer of benefits for the civil servants including some tax-free benefits,
Speaking during a post-cabinet media briefing yesterday, Ncube said:
We have started negotiations for annual normal cost of living adjustments, that process will take us to around September or October there will be further adjustments in that regard.There will be special programmes that recognises the health work they do and the risk that they take.
There will be a special health sector allowance and then there is a special Covid-19 risk allowance, then there is a US$75 wage balance. So there is a layer of additional benefits and these benefits are tax free.
These are some of the benefits to improve working conditions for health workers as well as the entire civil service
Ncube, however, did not specify if the benefits to the health sector he constantly pointed out are going to sorely benefit the health sector or the rest of the civil servants.
More: The Herald