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The Government is working on a new and improved pay package for its workers to cushion them from inflation and the rampant price hikes, the National Assembly heard on Wednesday.

Finance and Economic Development Minister Professor Mthuli Ncube said this while responding to Kwekwe Central legislator Judith Tobaiwa during the questions without notice session of the House.

Tobaiwa had asked what the Government was planning to cushion its workers from the harsh economic environment.

Ncube said the Government was always responsive to the needs of its workers.

“We are seized with yet another review of salaries and we are listening carefully to the request of civil servants. We are onto it,” he said.

In the next few weeks, we will deal with that issue which does not only cover civil servants, we will also cover Members of this House, everyone is included including the Honourable Member who has asked me the question.

“We will make sure that we improve the income levels for everyone so that they can afford some of these prices that we have seen in the market which have been hiked by some largely unscrupulous individuals.”

He shrugged off the possibility of the  Government paying its workers full United States dollar salaries.

“Our accounting currency is the Zimbabwe dollar, we peg and budget in this House in Zim dollar,” he said.

Earlier, Public Service, Labour and Social Welfar Minister Paul Mavhima had intimated to New Ziana that representatives of both the Government and civil servants would be meeting on Thursday to discuss salary reviews.

While workers keep demanding payment of US dollar salaries, the Government has maintained that it is unable to do so, since it does not generate enough foreign currency. – New Ziana