Govt specifies rate of civil servants’US dollar bonuses

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Civil servants will have their US dollar bonuses calculated on the conversion rate of $97,1361 to the US dollar, the rate existing when the decision was made.

The bonus will include the total of the basic salary, housing allowance and transport allowance, civil service union leaders announced yesterday.

The maximum paid in US dollars is US$700, with anything over that paid in local currency.

With the exchange rate being used, this means that everything in the combined figure up to $67 995.27 will be paid in US dollars.

Zimbabwe Confederation of Public Sector Trade Unions (ZCPSTU) president Ms Cecilia Alexander, in a statement after the end of yesterday’s National Joint Negotiation Council, said the bonus will be deposited into the civil servants’ nostro accounts, which every public servant has, and will be accessed as US$ and the back dated bank charges will be dealt with by monetary authorities.

Ms Alexander said the council meeting received an update on modalities on how the US dollar bonus payments are going to be administered.

The bulk of civil servants will start receiving their US dollar bonus payments this week, with most expected to be paid this month while the rest are expected to receive their money before the end of the year.

President Mnangagwa’s administration announced the expected payment to cushion the public servants from fluctuations in the exchange rates.

Speaking to our sister paper last week, Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare Minister Professor Paul Mavima confirmed the expected payments will be starting this week.

“In fact the money (bonus) should have come in with the November salary, but it will start reflecting in bank accounts this week or before the end of the month.

“Normally it is those in the education sector that start receiving and from my understanding the bulk of the civil servants will receive their bonus this month and the rest next month,” he said.

Unlike the Covid-19 allowances set in US dollars, but paid in the local currency equivalent at the prevailing formal market rate, the bonus will be delivered in hard currency.

– Herald