FOR the second consecutive month, the government has failed to pay its employees, including teachers, their meagre salaries on time exacerbating suffering among the working class.
Most civil servants were supposed to have their salaries reflected in their accounts this week, but nothing has come as the Christmas holiday fast approaches.
Last month, November, some teachers among other government workers got late disbursements of their Zimbabwe Gold (ZiG) payments while the United States dollar component of their salaries and bonuses never reflected in their accounts.
The Amalgamated Rural Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (ARTUZ) made the claims in a post on social media this Wednesday, stating that civil servants were wallowing in abject poverty amid continued neglect by their employer.
"For the second month in a row, the Zimbabwean government has failed to pay civil servants' salaries on time. Civil servants are already earning paltry salaries and are battling to make ends meet.
"Festive season was struck off the calendar of government workers way back. Unfortunately, the late payment of salaries adds a new layer of pain to the exploited government employees. Failing to meet the basics for survival when others are swimming in plenty is torturous," said ARTUZ.
The teachers' representative body alleges top bureaucrats were now enjoying the fruits of their manipulative conduct, which saw them suppressing dissent among impoverished public service employees.
"Senior government officials have since received their big perks in United States dollars. The majority of these elites are now on holiday with their families claiming to be resting from a busy year.
"Indeed it was a busy year for them. Looting from the impoverished is not an easy job. Working round the clock to silence the oppressed and disenfranchised majority is not an easy task. But as they rest they should be assured that the underpaid civil servants will not be silenced forever."
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ARTUZ said its members had endured enough unfair labour practices and warned of protests to demand improved pay and working conditions. Teachers are demanding at least US$1 260 per month from an average of US$300.
"We are not in the habit of making empty threats. The anger from the civil servants is reaching the boiling point. 2025 will be a difficult year for those who steal from the poor. We will organize and demand fair wages paid on time," ARTUZ said.
