The Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) has expressed strong opposition to the government’s decision to raise the retirement age for civil servants and members of the uniformed forces. The union believes that this change fails to address the deeper issues affecting employees and pensioners’ welfare.
This criticism follows the government’s enactment of Statutory Instrument 197 of 2024, which increases the retirement age for civil servants and uniformed officers by five years, starting January 1, 2025.
Under the new guidelines, civil servants can now retire at 70, up from 65, while regular soldiers have seen their retirement age increase from 50 to 55. War veterans, however, have the option to serve until the age of 60 or 65.
ZCTU Acting Secretary General, Runesu Dzimiri, voiced his disapproval in a statement released on Friday, January 24th, emphasizing that the government’s decision fails to address the urgent welfare concerns faced by workers. He argued that civil servants and pensioners are suffering due to inadequate salaries and poor working conditions, which force them to work longer than they should.
He criticized the government for extending the retirement age without properly consulting employees or their representatives. Dzimiri added that the option to continue working beyond the age of retirement should not be driven by financial desperation or fear of poverty, but by a worker’s true desire to keep contributing.
Furthermore, he stressed that the government should offer salaries that meet the Poverty Datum Line, allowing employees the freedom to retire when they choose, without financial concerns. He also called on the government to create more job opportunities for young people graduating from educational institutions, rather than making it harder for them to enter the workforce.
The union also highlighted the potential consequences of the new policy, including the possibility of workers passing away before reaching the extended retirement age, leading to a reduction in their benefits. Dzimiri urged the government to rethink the retirement age policy and to focus on measures that will directly improve the lives of its employees and pensioners. He expressed concern that the reform was more about saving money for the government than addressing the real needs of the workforce.
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