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(NEWZIMBABWE) Mukonoweshuro slams ‘super minister’ Biti

Mukonoweshuro slams ‘super minister’ Biti
by Gilbert Nyambabvu
07/05/2010 00:00:00

PUBLIC services minister Eliphas Mukonoweshuro has slammed Finance Minister Tendai Biti accusing his MDC-T colleague of behaving like a “super minister” and causing “unnecessary anxiety” over public sector pay.

This comes as the row within the MDC-T over civil servants salaries appears to be escalating after Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai publicly stated that Biti’s announcement of a public sector wage freeze was not government policy.

“I would like to state unequivocally that the Prime Minister has spoken most definitely and conclusively on the issue of civil service remuneration. There is no Government policy to freeze civil service salaries at present.

“That is the position of the Government, which at the moment is cast in stone. The Prime Minister therefore, lucidly pronounced Government policy on the issue, and that is the last word,” Mukonoweshuro stated in a statement released on Thursday.

Biti stated in an economic performance update presented on the 16th of April that government would “maintain a cap on the current wage bill” citing constrained revenue flows and lower than expected donor support.

The position was contradicted by Prime Minister Tsvangirai who told a May Day rally that this was not “government policy”.

But Biti stuck to his guns reiterating that the government’s wage bill, which averages 70 percent of overall revenues, was economically unsustainable and needed to be reduced.

Meanwhile Mukonoweshuro has weighed-in on the side of Tsvangirai and also appeared to take umbrage at Biti’s apparent encroachment into his purview. He warned his colleague that "government did not operate on the basis of super ministers”.

“All issues pertaining to the Ministry of Public Service i.e. remuneration issues, conditions of service, human resources policy and management, etc, are the responsibility and central mandate of the responsible minister and no one else,” Mukonoweshuro said.

“This Government does not operate on the basis of ‘Super Ministers’ who may frequently arrogate to themselves responsibilities that are neither in their present province of competence nor designated mandate.”

Public sector workers who presently earn between US$165 and US$250 per month have been pushing for a review and went on a job action at the start of the year demanding up to US$600.

Mukonoweshuro conceded that the present salaries levels were inadequate adding government was looking at ways of improving the situation.

“As the responsible minister mandated to superintend and administer all issues assigned to the Ministry of the Public Service portfolio, I would like to state that the Government is actively seeking ways and strategies to improve civil service remuneration.

“Government has indicated that civil service salaries are at a level that does not constitute a living wage based on the principle of a fair day’s work for a fair day’s wage,” the minister said.

Labels: ELIPHAS MUKONOWESHURO, SALARIES, TENDAI BITI

posted by MrK @ 4:38 PM