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MDC calls on government to raise money for civil servants salaries
Movement for Democratic Change (MDC)
July 08, 2011

The MDC strongly supports calls for Zimbabwe to pay its public sector workers a decent salary commensurate with the cost of living and their desire for enhanced welfare.

Our philosophy for a living wage is anchored on our background with its strong bias towards the poor. Our party was formed on two pillars: the trade union movement and the constitutional movement. Zanu PF today can not claim to be interested in workers issues by claiming that the Finance Ministry is refusing to increase salaries in the public sector.

We believe it is possible to meet this critical need through a clear remittance of diamond revenues to Treasury; accruals from an instant removal of 75 000 ghost workers from the state's payroll; earnings from millions of dollars in police coffers earned through fines; a drastic cut-back of the run-away government foreign travel expenses; and revenue from all mining concessions which have yet to be deposited in the government account.

As part of our non-negotiable contribution to a stable and prosperous Zimbabwe, the MDC calls on the government to effect these measures as a matter of extreme urgency to alleviate the plight of genuine civil servants. The public sector has emerged a major victim of Zanu PF's political insincerity and dirty games for more than three decades. The situation can not be left to deteriorate any further. The MDC shall move with utmost speed to ensure that the above measures are implemented to ensure public sector stability and uninterrupted service delivery.

Should Zanu PF continue to dabble in politics over human lives by blocking our proposals to raise money from within the state sector we reserve the right to invoke other contingency measures to make a respectable salary package for our civil servants a living reality.

As a significant player and an indispensible state actor charged with the management and administration of the national purse in Zimbabwe, we feel duty bound to respond with sensitivity to calls for help from all sectors of our society, in particular public service workers, the poor and the vulnerable.

The MDC remains committed to bringing a new, prosperous and democratic Zimbabwe because it has an indelible covenant and contract with the people.

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