Prosecutors’ strike paralyses courts
08/10/2011 00:00:00
by Staff Reporter
THE government has pleaded with striking prosecutors to return to work as
the job action has left the courts system in paralysis with no trials taking
place and hundreds of suspects stranded in remand prisons.
The prosecutors went on strike last Tuesday demanding an improvement in
conditions of service and parity with magistrates who had their salaries
increased in July with most now taking home more than US$500.
Acting Justice and Legal Affairs permanent secretary, Maxwell Ranga, urged
the prosecutors to call off the strike saying the government had approved a
US$156 representation allowance for principal law officers and prosecutors
in Grade One.
He said efforts were underway to address other grievances.
“Payment of representation allowance to principal law officers/prosecutors
Grade One has been resolved and payment is being processed. The ministry is
still working on the remaining issues pertaining to salaries, again with the
relevant stakeholders,” Ranga wrote in a letter to the Zimbabwe Law
Officers’ Association (ZLOA).
However, ZLOA chairman Leopold Mudisi blasted the offer as inadequate and
divisive insisting the strike would continue.
“We are not going back to work until they pay us or until the Public Service
Commission commits itself in writing that it will pay us what we are
demanding,” Mudisi said.
“We are eager to go back to work any minute as long as there is an
obligation in writing. We sympathise with the suspects in remand prison, but
we can not go back to work on empty stomachs.”
Prosecutors currently earn between US$200 and US$300 monthly and are
demanding parity with magistrates who paid between US$500 and US$730.
“Magistrates and prosecutors are all employed by the Judicial Service
Commission… but there is a serious salary and benefits discrepancy despite
having similar qualifications, experience and the fact that we do the same
work,” Derek Charamba, secretary general of the ZLOA said last week.