Despite threats of total civil service collapse as a result of ongoing unrest, government has refused to give in to demands to pay teachers and doctors in United States dollars, describing the call as expecting blood to ooze out of the stone.
Civil servants are mulling nationwide protests demanding to be paid in foreign currency among other grievances.
Writing on his micro blogging Twitter today, Information, Media and Broadcasting Services permanent secretary Nick Mangwana poured cold water on civil servants demands for foreign currency based salaries saying it is just but a pie in the sky.
“Government wants a positive relationship with its employees based on trust, honesty and commitment to engagement. In all frankness it is very clear that it won’t pay salaries in USD because it just can’t. This is an economic reality and surely blood cannot ooze out of a stone,” Mangwana wrote.
However, Mangwana’s statement drew criticism from the public who accused the government of rigging elections, which consequentially left the country’s economy reeling into any abyss.
Mangwana dismissed as banal, sentiments that the country has skidded into an economic abyss as a result of electoral theft.
“I think this argument of a “stolen vote” is so banal and too pedestrian to be engaged at this point. We have real issues to discuss and not some fixed false belief divorced from all reality and fantastical illusions of a fool’s paradise under some wannabe leaders,” he said.
Teachers are threatening not to report for work when schools open tomorrow and government is currently in talks with all union leaders to try and contain the situation that is slowly getting out of control.
Meanwhile, government has attributed the current fuel crisis to pricing distortions and alleged leakages.
“We have a distorted fuel pricing model. I can’t deny that. We have a lot of leakages and non-productive use of fuel. But that is not only the responsibility of government. We are all playing a role in this,” said Mangwana.
