The failure by this PF Government to pay civil servants and other public sector workers on time cannot go without comment. We warned about reaching this stage as far back as 2012 when PF was boasting about the Eurobond. But we were called bitter and other derogatory names.
Today is 22nd May and the civil servants have not been paid. This is illegal. A government that leads in abusing workers has no moral standing to call on private companies and individuals to honour their obligations. These civil servants have now resorted to borrowing money from unsafe sources just to meet their day to day needs. They are now deep in debt from kaloba. Soon these civil servants will start devising methods of survival. Some may either start involving themselves in illegal activities or simply abandon work in pursuit of money. This is the desperation that is likely to emanate from this single careless act by the PF.
[pullquote]Where has the money gone?[/pullquote]
Where has the money gone? The money is being diverted to paying a bloated cabinet who’s conditions of service include 900 liters of fuel per Minister and 800 liters per Deputy Minister for their personal to holder vehicles. This is in addition to the fuel they get for their official vehicles. When we said we need to cut such wastage to save on costs, again nobody wanted to listen. This wastage is what is causing all these delays in the paying our hardworking civil servants. It is actually laughable that President Edgar Lungu lifted the wage freeze to pave way for collective bargaining to begin when the Government is broke and cannot pay current salaries. This is the lack of planning we have always been talking about. This Government is paying debts as opposed to paying salaries to workers that are putting in so much.
As UPND, we are totally dismayed and sympathetic to our colleagues in the civil service who are getting a raw deal. In case Lungu and his cohorts do not realise, the civil service is the single largest employer in the country at over 400,000 people. And 70% of Government revenue is spent on emoluments. What this means is that every month that the Government does not pay its workers approximately 2.5 billion Kwacha (2.5 trillion old currency) is syphoned out the economy. The man selling airtime, our men and women selling vegetables at Soweto and our chain stores are also heavily affected by this single careless move.
Our message is simple. Pay the civil servants NOW.
Hakainde Hichilema
UPND President
___________________________
Issued by: UPND National Campaign Centre, Lusaka
HH, you are the man. This would not have been happening were you president. You have a vision, Sir!
HH is not a solution but a part of the problem. Solution lies in reducing salaries of MPs, PSs, Ministers, President by at least 60%, reducing diplomatic staff to 50%, reducing cabinet to 1/3rd of what it is today, merging districts and abolishing positions of DCs and provincial ministers, parking government vehicles after 5 PM, reducing staff at Statehouse, collection of taxes and fees on time, linking wages to productivity and not for warming seats, drinking tea and chit-chatting.
President HH, please remember to pray for the govt ,don`t become too carnal sir, you are an Elder at church, handle
things biblicaly.
Its not good for you to follow Kaundalism and Satalism politics because that time is past,please show us better politics,we are tired of this common politics . Hakaindelism was better though
you were losing elections by far. It was close to Mwanawasalim.
May God show you good direction President/Elder HH .
Private cadet, you are saying exactly what HH is saying.
I lent some money which I planned to spend on 23rd May to my brother who is a teacher, believing he was going to be paid by 19th May.
Now I’m getting concerned, maybe I just need to look for alternatives, alas!
Not only civil servants have been affected
YOU CHAPS ARE SO CHILDISH WITH YOUR UNDER FIVE HH
The trend of primitive, Zambian men, stripping vulnerable women naked in public is not right and it should be stopped!!
Mobs of jobless, classless, stinking Zambian men target and attack vulnerable young beautiful women and rip away their clothes until they are naked…. their dirty idea to take their minds from poverty, I wonder?
I’m asking ”primitive Zambian people to PLEASE be civilized… its none of YOUR business what someone is wearing.
Shame on these lowlifes, when did anyone’s dressing became another person’s business?
These savages are potential rapists who should rot in jail
The last time i checked God created us naked and in African culture women wore bark-skin “G-String” and nothing on top… Chitenge’S AND SALAULA WERE BROUGHT BY MUZUNGU’S
Shame on you Zambians
Merinda na macream doughnuts yasila mulusaka, shoprite maline nidiba, ati mateachers ba fola.
WHAT’S THE PROBLEM WITH HH? SALARIES ARE ALREADY IN.. YABA THIS MAN IS REALLY A BELINDA ATTENTION SEEKER EISH!!
He is just a childish person. It is very clear that Civil Servants will get their salaries. This is a just a delay. This has happened in all governments. It is not the same as people not getting their salaries.
HH’s childishness is so plain and clear. Everyone knows he was going to try to capitalise on this. No wonder he was a plagiarist as a UNZA student. He is devoid of intellectual articulation. How do you support such a petty issued person. This will not give him any leverage he hopes to get. He still remain a copy politician.
Same civil servants where even in the forefront rigging elections for the PF, wishing you more suffering . VIVA NO SALARY
Zambian do not know what they really want. To run a country is running a household but at a higher level. We did not vote for prosperity and we are now paying for our foolishness. You make a wrong decision and then start complaining……….what do you really want?
Receiving the rewards kikikikiu are the same useless civil servants who campaignd for pf ….enjoying eating your hate n tribalism.
HH, payment of salaries for civil servants started yesterday. As at today most bank accounts have already been credited with the salaries depending on the bank. Zanaco was the earliest. For banks like Barclays and Finance, it may be at the end of the day. I do not support PF but to be honest, PF have done very well in paying civil servants on time. During Chiluba’s reign, civil servants were being paid on the 5th, 6th, 7th and even 10th of the following month. But now, civil servants get paid on the 18th, 19th or 20th of the same month. It is only this month that salaries are being paid on 22nd.
which ministry do you work iwe.dont bicker for nothing. PF has failed accept.mwanya no enjoying today ni friday.
HH is a shameless opportunist. He knew that Secretary to the Treasury had signed salary cheques. He just wants to position himself as the self appointed spokesman of the civil servants. Desperate for votes in a knee jack way. No log term strategy.
Chisenga, you are very honest. I will give you HH’s number so you can ring him
Chisenga your dullness will kill you one day man. Your misjudgement will lead you into injecting your pipe into an HIV rotten hole. What is a month in your view? If you get paid on the 7th every month, its still one month. If your salary were to be delayed from 7th to 15th of the month, it means your salary is late. Do you get it in your head now? The law is that civil servants must be paid before the 21st of every month. This has been the case for 8 years now. Thus the civil servants are justified to cry for their salaries.
Iwe just shut the F**** up ka HH
Whether you show your stupid manners in public you are wasting your time.Your ka drunken master has failed to pay civil servants and iminyokolo njala. nama nyumba mulibe.
@Ba kachema,
Ba HH,Bola panshi.Ukufwaya ukumfwika, na bola wine efyo mulushila.Vinabwela mochendwa.This is not the first time it is happening and you are heaping blame on PF.What kind of a politician are you HH?
timely or delayed salaries pf 2016 cikunyonge
@James
Ignorance and poverty kind of thinking…guess you are used.As long ba uncle is in power “mentality”…keep on suffering and posting
nonsense…
Zambia is a failed state under the PF. We are being led by blind men and women who do not know the state of the ground where to put the next step. It is our fault. We voted for riff ruffs and now we are reaping what we sowed. The president is as clueless as are his ministers. You can just tell by the utterances of Kambwili and Davis Chama. These are empty heads feasting on tax payers money. Now they have added on another psychopath Mumbi Phiri to continue looting.
Read Chisenga’ comment (4) above, iwe mimbwe
This is good talk Mr. Hichilema. We need people with the knowledge of how an economy functions. Guess I have to start voting next year 🙂
The salaries you quacks are talking about are for which month.
Because for this month I am paid. My wife got paid early in the morning also. HH what are you bluffing?
HH knows that payments are being made right now, but wants to show that the GRZ has paid because of him.
And I quote “It is actually laughable that President Edgar Lungu lifted the wage freeze to pave way for collective bargaining to begin when the Government is broke and cannot pay current salaries.” Where is Lungu going to find the money to pay increased salaries when he is failing under a wage freeze?
What about Council employees who have usually if not always been paid very, very late? Sometimes on the 20th of a following month.
Mwimwi
Where was UPND during MMD when we never received our salaries on time. HH zero score on this one. Do not open your mouth too fast.
iwe makaka councils generate money themselves.
Ba lwengelele, the point is, are you going to accept mediocrity just because you’ve experienced it before? If you haven’t yet realised that we are in troubled waters wait and see what will be happening in the next months to come, mark my words.
He and His party behaving like a football spectator. If I were the president, I could have done this or that. Remember that it will be the same ball game with you. I am sure you will all be blaming it on PL the first few years in office pretending to be correcting mistakes but in actual fact you will be paddling the same boat.
You may wish to know that this is happening for the first time since 2007. So to a civil servant, it is clear that the 8 years long standing “salary before the 21st of every month” record has now been broken for the first time by PF. The Direct Debit System has thrown into disarray.
Who is HH? What is the relationship between HH and civil servants? How does the delay affect him? When is the monthend? Who doesnt know that we shall be paid soon?
IFINTU TAFILI BWINO!!
RIGHT NOW THE WAY THINGS ARE?
RIGHT NOW UNDER PF?
ECONOMY YAVUTA KEKEKEKE! !!!!
I am a civil servant and I have been paid. You guys who haven’t been paid. Which bank do you use?
Besides, its supposed to be pa sate. Pa month end. Is this month end?.
Kambwili tell people that month end is month end.
Actually those who have not been paid owe HH’s microfinance institutions. Zero balance pa payslip, He He He He
Civil Servants are supposed to be paid monthly in arrears as per contract of employment….. Does HH pay his Cattle Herders in advance or in arrears …. SO WE ARE SUPPOSED TO BE PAID AFTER WORKING FOR 28 DAYS IN FEB, 29 DAYS IN A LEAP YEAR , 30 DAYS OR 31 DAYS….. SO WHATS THE FUSS… Check the first pages of Civil Servants Salaries Files………There HH shouldn’t be this D.u.l.l about “delayed” salaries….. Treasury has not delayed any civil servants salary unless we pay say on 5th of the following month…… Just for HH EDUCATION ….. SO SHUT UP AND CHILL
ALL CIVIL SERVANTS HAVE BEEN PAID BY END OF TODAY…. Meaning that we have paid salaries 9 days before monthend … so where is the delay iweeee ka HH….. Fake Economist
Alinaswe, unfortunately, it is such attitude of defending the wrong that will not take this country anywhere. Some people above are even suggesting that delayed salaries are ok because it used to happen in Chiluba’s time.
u r a moron and answering u is just wasting time…may be u were supposed to hav been aborted the moment u were conceived…u r a reject of a human being …we r normally paid between 16 and 20th of every month..so if u don’t understand hw things are shut you big muzindo of yo mouth.
Iwee monthend is not pa sate only but the date which your employer has agreed by contract to pay you. So it can be 15th, 19th or 22nd. For GRZ it is supposed to be by the 20th
Ba civil servant brace yourselves for more hardships coming your way. If you get more that 10% salary increment you will be very lucky. Increment will be very minimal there will be no money to pay high salary increments. Takuli impiya.
At least natumona uko impiya shileya – unprecedented transport, education, health, telecommunication, and public infrastructure
Again ka under five kainyelawila. Kafuleni amatebela/ ama daipas.
Ka mambala kalelya sana, amafi nayatampa ukununka. Leta fosholo bakapipe nakanya ayanunka.
For sure this pathetic leader is so dull. hh takakule. He is dwarfed ku lunkonena. I feel pity for his supporters as they are un aware of their weaknesses. They do not know their weakness, and so are blind and just stupid.
Ba former vice wakwe batile: ati hh alilila for three weeks after losing the resent Presidential by election. Since then hh has had this slip of his tongue. UBUNGWA BWEKABWEKA…
Iyee… !!! Ba ‘The Black woman not pink’, kwena muli ba PamaFi! Kupolomya koonse uku? Awe kwena, ifintu ni Lungu 🙁
How much is HH, dishing into the accounts of the servants for him to give instructions? I love this man, but he is not campaigning, only wasting time to attack those who are already fat. Why?
if he is wasting time..u r also wasting time commenting on somebody wasting time..grow up u diseased cow.
chisenga u spoke exactly wat i remembered wen i ws under the custody of my sister who ws a teacher then in mmd, teachers used to get paid the following month and very little salary wher she even failed to buy furnitures and stove and jst by looking u cn tell tt this one is a teacher umulandu no bucushi bt pf have improved the standard of living for civil servants a thumb up for pf govment tho delayed salaries for 2 days
I don’t know what this man is talking about because i as a civil servant I was empowered by evening yesterday. This politics of hate has no room in modern society. Be patient ba sir… no political milage here – sorry.
Some are not even civil servants here and are busy posting useless remarks. Learn to read between the lines and see the bigger picture.
Let’s wait and see…
time will judge!
@chisenga if you are constantly getting your salary on 7th of each month you are still doing a full calender month cycle but if one month you get paid on 18th & the following moth on 22nd you go beyond a calender month, like this month mwayamba kufola pa 33rd.
Ala ba Chisenga wesu chikopo! Bapolomya fye PamaFi.
Read my comment again. If I get my May 2015 salary on 22nd May 2015, can you say I am being paid my salary in arrears? I think it is important for us to discuss issues based on facts which are on the ground. It is sad that many bloggers here are using their emotions when commenting on issues regarding the payments of may 2015 salaries to civil servants. I do want to think like a cadre. I would rather comment based on facts and not emotions.
Sorry. I meant ”I do not want to think like a cadre” To those of you who cannot comment without insulting, you are just demonstrating your level of thinking. The truth is that civil servants salaries have been paid. You are insulting me for telling the truth. It is sad. The problem is that you cannot think independently. HH defines truth for you. Truth is truth. The problem is that your opinions are influenced by your political affiliations.
HH, cheap politicking will get you nowhere. 2017, we will still be talking PF. Change your strategy so you do not say PF has stolen ‘my votes’. And the person you stole with Justice Mambilima will not be there to ‘steal together’ with you like in the last elections.
HH wnts to gain political milage out of traight forward things,most if nt all evil servants hv bn paid so wat z that Tonga ***** talking abt?Who told hm that thrz no money to the gvt workers? Stupid fool of a politician under five kolwe.
I work for a private company, a big international company I must add and our salaries are paid every 25th but they but are due on the 30th… some times we get them by the 20th and I have never heard any opposition leader criticise this firm… HH etal please… stop painting Zambia black- give some constructive criticism not ifya bapuba! Now that civil servants have been paid before the 30th… will you release another statement commenting govt for swift action? I bet not! Shame on you!
Most comments here are testimony to why this country shall always be a backwater.
Mary-go round, your nick name tells it all. Your thinking goes round indeed. In other words, you are moving in circles. You need to come out of that circle for you to think objectively.
people dont pretend to be comfortable with the delay of salaries am a civil servant who got my money on 15th last month and used it for education of my wonderful children whom i dont expect to be street vendors because of school fees and expect to get my salary on 19th this money but to be disappointed like this. now did you ask why there was a delayment read between the lines. mmd was using old system of payment but now we are using modern technology EFT which does need to delay. go to school and analyse things critically
@Realist you are not realistic at all 25 to 25 is one month your salary is not due on 30th because your one month ends pa Twente Five Iwe.
Mukeso wabe TALL lay….. when we say salary is due on 30th but paid on 25th it simply means that when that salary goes in your account don’t start chewing until when its 30th….. the five days is for planning so that you don’t take that cash to your HULES
HH is a finished and lost chap. I have never heard him talk anything sensible, unfortunately for him, all can read his desperation.
Has he himself paid his shepherds and how how much does he pay them? Shame maningi uyu mambala!!
koma this guy is a dreamer. so he was tipped ati salaries have been transmitted he hurriedly issues a statement to appear like he gave the order kekekekekekekekeke!
I thought this man was claiming to be running the OP; guess not! Civil servants are already paid. Hope he wont claim to have instructed Government. Attention seeking
So some civil servants cannot even count. If your pay day is set as 15th, you ought to be paid every 15th – unless it falls on a non-bank day, in which case you ought to be paid earlier. It also appears that in Zambia being paid 2, 3 or 4 days late is ‘not bad’. That is the perennial trend – accepting low standards and unprofessional conduct. There are fiscal implications to being paid late as well.
How many trips has Lungu made in the last four months? $10 000 each trip allowance plus hotel and other allowances . Don’t forget his entourage and their allowances too plus the hotel bills. Abena Chanda as well sleeping in hotels in the name of escorting Lungu ,Imagine how many civil servants would have been paid?
This PF government is a Joke!!!
Chibwe, there is always a budget line for Presidential trips. There is also a budget for salaries of Civil Servants. It is very unprofessional for HH to use this delay in salaries for political mileage. Is is so immature and primitive. It is clear that civil servants will get paid. HH wants to use any opportunity to rule by the back door. He should wait until we, the people of Zambia tell to be our president. For now, we have EL as President. EL won the elections and HH, lost. Like or not, that is the truth and should accept it. .
Remember, no systems is perfect. There will always be pitfalls, what is important is to correct them. Even himself, HH has at times delayed paying his own workers, even to the extent of underpaying them. HH is displaying tasteless hypocrisy.