The Zimbabwean government has awarded a 600 percent salary increase to judges and prosecutors who have been on strike since October. The state-run Sunday Mail newspaper reports judges and prosecutors will earn a monthly salary that at the official exchange rate would be between $10 and $15,000. Because of the Zimbabwe's hyperinflation, currently more than 7,000 percent, the pay increase will be far less than that amount in practical terms.The judicial officers began their work stoppage in October to protest low pay. The strike has greatly affected the judicial system. Other civil servants, including teachers also joined the strike.
The Sunday Mail quotes a justice ministry official as saying the government has decided to pay the judicial officers and civil servants half of their salaries mid-month and the rest by the end of the month. Zimbabwe has struggled with severe inflation for months as the country suffers shortages of food, fuel and other basic goods.