Dissatisfied employees at Zimbabwe’s Judicial Service Commission (JSC) are raising strong objections in an ongoing dispute that highlights internal strife within the organization over what they perceive to be unfair treatment and poor working conditions compared to the perks enjoyed by their superiors.
The JSC’s support staff has publicly attacked Walter Chikwana, the commission’s secretary, and other top officials, including magistrates, for disregarding their concerns. The support staff comprises numerous administrative functions essential to the smooth operation of judicial proceedings. Additionally, they claim that if they speak up about the labor injustices they experience, they would be fired.
Central to the dispute is the claim that magistrates and other senior managers recently received a US$150 allowance, a benefit that did not extend to the support staff. This disparity has fueled discontent among the lower-tier workers, leading to accusations of inequality and neglect by the JSC management. Chikwana, however, has dismissed these allegations, asserting that all civil servants, including JSC staff, are compensated fairly and equitably through the Salary Service Bureau (SSB).
“There is nothing like that happening at the JSC. It is not possible for someone to be earning merely just ZiG10 or ZiG12. Look, all civil servants get their salaries from the Salary Service Bureau (SSB), it is across the board. There is no way government would neglect JSC workers,” Chikwana stated in response to the allegations.
Despite Chikwana’s assurances, reports from NewsDay indicate that for the past three months, JSC workers have not been receiving payslips, adding to the opacity and confusion surrounding their remuneration. Workers have expressed that morale is at an all-time low within the commission, with some employees reportedly earning as little as US$250 and around ZiG500 per month.
The situation has escalated to the point where JSC employees from various parts of the country have coordinated via a WhatsApp group, discussing the possibility of passing a vote of no confidence against Chikwana. An open letter demanding intervention from higher authorities has circulated, highlighting the dire conditions and the urgent need for rectification.
This letter reveals that two years prior, when the SSB requested updated grades to adjust salaries accordingly, only the grades of magistrates were submitted, leaving other staff members’ salaries unchanged and comparatively lower than other government workers.
Moreover, workers claim that efforts to organize and form a union were initially encouraged but were quickly stifled once the movement gained momentum. Those leading the unionization efforts faced victimization, with charges being brought against them and sudden, unwarranted transfers.
The dispute has been further complicated by accusations of corruption, which state that the JSC deputy secretary gave a contract to his son’s business for a project that employees have called “useless and fake.”
Employees in the chief magistrate’s department have stated that they are under pressure to provide applicants with unreasonable short dates for court proceedings, which contributes to the already substantial queue, further complicating issues. They contend that this procedure diminishes the standard of judicial processing and contributes to the general confusion and unhappiness of the individuals.
