Rural Teachers Union Of Zimbabwe Statement On Public Service Audit

The Rural Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (RTUZ) notes the various outcomes of the yet to be shared Public Service Audit which was undertaken by the Public Service Commission starting in the second quarter of 2015.

We further note the Arrears Clearance Strategy which was entered into by the Government of Zimbabwe and its creditors from 3 International Financial Institutions (IFIs) i.e. the World Bank, African Development Bank (AfDB) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) at Lima in October 2015.
Before going into the proposed details of the report, RTUZ registers its dissatisfaction with the secrecy which has surrounded an important public process such as an audit of government work force and thus from the onset takes the findings and recommendations thereof with a pinch of salt.
After taking notice of the above we make the following observations based on what has been publicly started about the audit and how it affects the teachers in general and those working in rural areas in particular.
We therefore take note of the following:
The proposed reintroduction of a US$7, 5% Public Service Pension contribution, which is US$19, 50 for an average salary of US$260.00, while it makes sense for the future of government workers in their old age raises serious sustainability issues.

This is particularly so when considering that civil servants are paying the Pay As You Earn (PAYE), NSSA contributions amid other none statutory payments such rentals for those staying in government houses. These various funds especially at NSSA have been wantonly abused with impunity by various political appointees running the institution, hence monies have been lost in corruption and naked embezzlement.
In this light the RTUZ proposes that;
There be wide consultation on the amount to be paid and how its management must be structured.
The amount of income taxable for PAYE be reviewed upwards so that those earning little can have funds for pension contribution and still have disposable income to cater for their day to day livelihood needs including personal savings.
Proposed cutting of student salaries in an anathema towards access to higher education, as enshrined in section 75 of the constitution, as it proposes to cut out a support mechanism which had provided financing for students in teachers in colleges so that they are not vulnerable to the vagaries of higher education which their university companions are exposed to.

The proposed ‘bush allowance’ must also be broadly distributed even to permanent teachers in rural areas who are in any case the drivers of the education system in Zimbabwe.
Therefore, based on the above the RTUZ makes following propositions;
That the payment of current salaries to student teachers be maintained as it caters for the gaps in the education system and only be scrapped when a comprehensive loan and grant system has been established.
That the ‘bush allowance’ (the term itself derogatory) must cover all teachers in rural areas and must take into consideration their ability to access such critical services as water, internet, banking services among others efficiently and thus focus on offsetting costs of access imposed by geography and limited infrastructure.
Having taken notice of the above RTUZ sadly notes that the proposed reforms as reported by the Minister of Public Service is far from what is required of the nation as it is silent on critical government institutions and conduct which are gobbling the fiscus empty and leading to a bloated wage bill.
In this vein we make the following observations based on what we have gathered on the audit:
The audit fails to propose austerity to the institutions of government which gobble up most of the funds and inefficiently spend them. The very fact that the audit is being considered as a stand-alone document when other arms of government such as Defense, Police, Prisons, parliament and even the executive and the Office of the President and Cabinet are not being mentioned.

It goes without saying that these are also on the wage bill and curving out a huge chunk for themselves.
Our government is characterized by endless foreign trips, purchases of luxury vehicles costing hundreds of millions each year, flawed tender procedures which provide for pork barreling and graft amongst a whole host of maladministration tendencies. T

hus we remain clear that the audit findings cannot be implemented as stand-alone when the other half if not three quarters of the equation are not clear.
Thus, in light of these piece-meal reforms proposed by the government we give the following alternatives:
That the government immediately address the issue of over 200 thousand ghost workers unearthed by the audit of 2012, the bulk of whom are ‘Border Gezi’ militias in the ministry of youth and also serving in the ‘so called’ police neighborhood constabulary.
That the audit must involve government spending on such economically meaningless activities as endless trips and the various embassies littered across the globe which bring no meaningful economic value in this era of globalization.
That priority be given towards the education and health sector as these are sectors which are sensitive to austerity and thus need funding to remain functional.
RTUZ also observes that the government is fast tracking the audit process in order to satisfy milestones in its proposed roadmap for Arrears Clearance agreed on in Lima. Such focus while it is noble is driven by the wrong ambitions which are too simply clear arrears and not DEBT so that the same elites can borrow again.
Therefore it is with great apprehension and sadness that RTUZ reads the attempts by government to abide by the Lima Agreement while sacrificing the poor civil servants who have worked hard to ensure that critical service are availed to the population in the most difficult of times. It is a betrayal of the highest order that the government sacrifices the poor in order to maintain their out of the world lifestyles.
Hence forth the RTUZ makes the following recommendations:
That the government focuses on growing the economy as opposed to cutting revenue by austerity which will leave the bulk of the population unemployed and those in employment with little disposable income.

In this vein the lessons from Greece are profound and telling, austerity is not the solution to economic crisis instead focus must be put in growing the economy and fostering accountability.
That the government must first complete auditing all other departments and also conduct a comprehensive debt audit before any recommendations can take effect. The debt audit is critical as it is after all in the pursuit of clearing arrears to our debt that these measures are being undertaken.
In conclusion, RTUZ maintains that while some of the propositions are sound they are of little consequence if implemented on their own. If anything implementation will result in the suffering of the majority and also limited revenue collection which will further straggle the already broke government. What Zimbabwe needs at the moment is commitment and political will from government to respect and uphold the constitution as well as combating corruption because it is after all Illicit financial flows which cost the economy US$2 billion annually.
In short Zimbabwe needs pro-poor policies that can spur economic growth and foster accountability and thus grow the national cake. Current efforts are simply an attempt at sharing one small rat at a carnival; it is just not enough!

Issued By

Pay AsRTUZ Information Department Tuesday 24 November 2015