adminThe council workers last month downed tools to press management to pay outstanding salaries.
Labour officers had to intervene and their mediation efforts resulted in the two parties signing an agreement whereby management made an undertaking to clear the salary arrears by end of last month.
Speaking in a telephone interview yesterday, a member of the workers committee, Mr Sipho Ndlovu, said the situation had improved after the local authority formed a committee comprising both workers and management representatives to assist in coming up with strategies to improve the council’s cashflow.
“We realised that the municipality was struggling because it was failing to come up with strategies of improving cash collection. We have since intensified water disconnections and cashflow has greatly improved,” he said.
Mr Ndlovu said council had introduced a system to penalise residents who illegally reconnected water and it was also encouraging residents in arrears to come up with a payment plans.
He said the payment plan seemed to be working as many residents were sticking to their payment plans.
Workers who spoke to Chronicle confirmed that council had cleared the salary arrears.
“I am happy that management has fulfilled its promise and now we can budget based on our salaries,” said an employee.
Efforts to get a comment from Gwanda Town Clerk, Mr Gilbert Mlilo, were fruitless as his mobile phone was not reachable.
Last month Mr Mlilo indicated that the municipality was facing viability challenges as the council was owed more than $4 million by ratepayers, hence the salary backlog.
The council has 173 workers with the lowest paid worker reportedly earning about $200.
Online Reporter