Council employees demonstrate

Patrick Chitumba Midlands Bureau Chief
GWERU City Council workers yesterday took to the streets demanding payment of outstanding salaries, bonuses and improved working conditions amid indications that councillors gobbled more than $240,000 in allowances from 2014 to date.

The workers are owed $2.6 million in outstanding salaries and bonuses by the cash-strapped local authority.

They are also demanding the resignation of Finance Committee chairperson Councillor Albert Chirau whom they are accusing of fuelling corruption at the MDC-T run council.

Workers took advantage of their tea break at 10AM to stage a 30 minute peaceful protest as they sang, danced and waved placards denouncing “corrupt” council management and councillors outside the Town House.

Some of the placards read, “Say no to corruption, Councillor Chirau is corrupt, April, May, June, July back pay tinoida/ siyaifuna.”

Clr Chirau, who holds the Ward 11 seat, appeared before the Gweru Magistrate Court facing allegations of defrauding Gweru City Council.

Council workers’ committee chairperson, Paul Moyana said they were now fed up with the management and councillors who were failing to honour their promises to pay them outstanding salaries and bonuses.

He said they would continue holding peaceful demonstrations during tea time while preparing for a major strike that would cripple council operations.

Moyana said workers were also demanding protective clothing from their employer.

“We’re here comrades and we’ll continue meeting at this place until our grievances are addressed. We can’t go on like this when we’re failing to pay school fees for our children. We can’t even pay rentals,” he said.

The workers committee spokesperson, Cornelia Selipiwe, reiterated that the employees were fed up with management which was failing to address their grievances.

“We’re here because we’re now a laughing stock in the community. We can’t even borrow chicken. It’s so sad. We’re still to get our December 2014 salaries and bonus and the back pay for April to July 2014,” he said.

He accused management and councillors of wasting money paying themselves allowances for trips he said did not benefit council.

Selipiwe accused councillors of blowing over $240,000 in travel allowances alone from last year to date.

“Management and councillors are blowing money on useless trips as if they’re tourists. Right now they’re planning to go to the trade fair (Zimbabwe International Trade Fair) and last week they were in Chiredzi watching boxing at our expense. They went to Bulawayo for lessons on how to use laptops when that exercise could have been done locally. So we’re saying enough is enough, we want our monies,” said Selipiwe.

Frank Muzorera, the workers secretary general said: “We aren’t happy that they’re not providing us with protective clothing. We’re handling sewage with our bare hands because we don’t have overalls and gloves,” he said.

Town clerk Daniel Matawu could not be reached for comment as he was said to be out of office. The Gweru City Council has been struggling to meet its salary obligations and only managed to pay its workers their November 2014 salaries in February this year.