Pay Dispute Threatens June Exams

The following was originally published in the Herald Online:

June 2012 public examinations are in danger as workers are threatening to strike over late payment of US$420 000 housing allowances by the Zimbabwe Schools Examination Council.

Zimsec has yet to implement a court order to pay its 290 workers over US$420 000 in outstanding housing allowances dating back 12 months, although the council is owed US$1,9 million by the Treasury in what amounts to subsidies to keep examination fees affordable. Zimsec still has an appeal pending on the Labour Court ruling to pay allowances.

Education, Sport, Arts and Culture Minister David Coltart is now involved in trying to resolve the dispute.

At the weekend he said he held a meeting with some of the board members last week as part of the measures to resolve the impasse. “I met Zimsec board deputy chairperson (Mrs Hilda Shindi) who also chairs the committee and I ordered the board to go back to the workers to resolve the issue,” said Minister Coltart.

The Minister said the problem was that Zimsec operates on a tight budget and is still owed US$1,9 million by Treasury.

This, he said, has affected the entire system as well as creating cashflow problems. “It is my hope that the workers will get something soon because they are an important instrument in the processing of public examinations and day-to-day running of the examination body,” said Minister Coltart.

What sparked off the latest unrest at Zimsec were reports, believed by the workers, that senior managers were granted loans amounting to US$50 000. Workers feel that the agreement over their allowances has to be implemented first, using available funds.

There are now growing fears that the disgruntled workers are likely to throw into disarray the finalisation and processing of the examinations currently underway as the workers are mooting an industrial action to force management to pay them.

The Collective Bargaining Agreement entered between Zimsec management and workers on June 6 last year by the Works Council was signed as a total package. All the relevant authorities endorsed the agreement.

Workers had demanded a 56 percent increment and US$210 in housing allowances, while the examination body was offering 10 percent. To end the stalemate, workers and management later agreed that sums set aside for housing, vehicles and personal use, as well as the budget for leave encashment could be used to fund workers’ allowances and that the money saved on not filling vacant posts could be used to increase salaries and allowances. Having found the money then it was possible to distribute it.

Calculations were done with cash from loans coming to US$420 000, which could then be converted to increase workers’ allowances and salaries.

After management moved away from the agreement, the workers approached the Labour Court, which ordered the examination body to pay the US$420 000.

A spokesman for the National Education Union of Zimbabwe—a body that represents the workers — Mr Matthius Guchutu yesterday accused the examination body of violating labour laws.

Zimsec, he said, had invited “solidarity” action as it was failing to honour a binding CBA signed between the workers and Zimsec management in June last year. “We are left with no option but to take the route of an industrial action. They agreed to pay the workers but nothing has come to date. Morale within the workers is low.

“Despite taking the legal route we have also engaged Minister David Coltart, who also ordered them to honour that agreement but there are no efforts to pay the workers,” he said.

“The employer (Zimsec) including the Board has taken a stance to defend the non-justifiable expenditure of the amount agreed for housing allowance in the 2011 works council meeting. A series of meetings have been held to try and twist the agreed position.

“What the management should know is that the workers they are denying allowances are the same workers who are involved in the processing of examinations and as such they should be treated with respect,” he said.

Efforts to get a comment from Zimsec Board chairperson Professor Norman Maphosa were fruitless as he is out of the country. His deputy Mrs Hilda Shindi declined to comment.

“Professor Maphosa speaks on behalf of the board,” she said. Zimsec public relations manager Mr Ezekiel Pasipamire yesterday insisted the matter was still pending at the courts.

“To us we are still waiting for the court’s decision since the board made an appeal,” he said.

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