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Police officers have expressed their displeasure as their security counterparts received double salary payments emanating from COVID-19 allowances, TechMagTv can exclusively reveal.
Police chiefs who anonymously spoke to TechMagTv stated that they were unamused at the unequal treatment of Zimbabwe Defence Forces members which today saw soldiers receiving double salary over their police.
The Ministry of Finance and Economic Development on 17 June 2020 announced a 50% salary increment and non-taxable COVID-19 allowance of USD$75 per month to all civil servants.
“Pursuant to government’s commitment to continuously review and improve the renumeration framework for civil servants, taking into account the transitory economic challenges being currently experienced in the country which have been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, government makes the following announcement:
- With immediate effect all servants’ salaries will be adjusted upwards by 50%. This increase also applies to all government pensions.
- In addition, all civil servants will be paid a flat, non-taxable COVID-19 allowance of USD$75 per month,” reads part of the statement.
However, TechMag TV has established that there is an uneven allocation of these allowances and increments.
A police source revealed to this publication that soldiers are receiving preferential treatment ahead of police after it emerged that they got $15 000 each.
On the other hand, their security counterparts, Police, received $8 900 each.
“So, this month (July) we got a total of RTGS$8 900 that includes 50% salary increment plus the USD$75 COVID-19 allowance but shockingly soldiers with the same salary as ours got RTGS$15 000 each,” the source revealed.
According to the source, instead of getting RTGS$4700 COVID-19 allowance soldiers received double the amount.
“If you calculate soldiers are now on RTGS$5 600 salary per month before COVID-19 allowance while us (Police) are now being paid RTGS$4200 salary before allowance.”
Previously, both sectors were on RTGS$2 800 salary per month.
“We are so concerned with the salary disparity between the two security forces. And what criteria did the government use to say soldiers deserve more than us (police),” he said.
Enock Dongo, the Zimbabwe Nurses Association President recently claimed that the government had not paid the striking nurses.
“To be specific, we have received confirmation that many nurses have been removed from the payroll and did not receive even the pitiful increment of $1 200.”
“What is even said is that our employer decided to pay directors at head office, provincial medical directors, clinical directors and managers at the health services Board payments of upward of $60 000 each this week whilst nurses got $1 200,” Dongo said.
Soldiers have apparently been used by the government to deal with any protesters. As the country approaches the much talked about July 31 – national demonstration against the ruling party and government, it appears the move is meant to buy favours from the dreadful security sector.
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