Prosecutors resume strike
By Godfrey Mtimba
Tuesday, 08 November 2011 10:33
MASVINGO – Prosecuters in the country will today resume their job action
after negotiations with government over a possible pay rise failed to yield
results.
The prosecutors grouped under the Zimbabwe Law officers Association (Ziloa)
said they will re-launch their strike action which was suspended last month
to give negotiations a chance.
The prosecutors said the industrial action will be done to show solidarity
with their leaders who were fired by attorney general, Johannes Tomana.
Tomana withdrew prosecutors’ practising certificates for the entire national
executive of Leopold Mudisi, Mehluli Tshuma, Patros Dube, Dereck Charamba
and Musekiwa Mbanje last week and ordered them to stop their duties as
public prosecutors in the country’s courts.
Ziloa secretary general, Dereck Charamba told the Daily News yesterday that
they will soon be resuming the strike action in response to Tomana’s
suspension.
“We are resuming our strike on Tuesday (today). Government failed to agree
with us on our demands so we are going ahead with the strike again. We need
a pay rise and that has not been done,” said Charamba who is among those
suspended adding that his members were now so upset that they have no option
but to go back on strike.
He also lashed out at government for failing to take their issue seriously
and for victimising them as leaders of Ziloa by withdrawing their
prasticising certificates.
“We are very angry with these guys in government, instead of looking into
our issues they decided to victimise us by serving us with letters of
revoking our certificates and barring us from practising.
“But we are saying we need a decent salary for our members and that’s why we
are going back on strike and our members have also decided to show
solidarity with us over Tomana’s joke, how could he fire us for demanding a
better wage,” said Charamba.
Charamba said Ziloa would fight Tomana’s decision to fire them and have
since instructed their lawyers to appeal against the suspension at the High
Court.
“His recent move is just a joke and we will fight him. As we speak now, we
have since instructed our lawyers to drag him to the courts.
“Harrison Nkomo will be representing us, and his (Tomana) letter is just a
useless piece of paper, he is not our employer and has no right to make that
decision,” Charamba said.
He said prosecutors will now continue with the strike action until they are
given a decent salary.
“This time the strike will go ahead until we get what we want.
“We want to show them that we are serious with this issue and they should
just do the wise thing of giving us a decent wage,” he added.
Prosecutors feel they are being treated unfairly as magistrates now under
the Judiciary Service Commission (JSC) are getting a salary of $700 while
prosecutors get a paltry $300 a month.