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Herald Reporters
The Harare City Council is struggling to pay its employees their salaries and has failed to do so for the past two months.
Morale is rock bottom at the MDC-T -run municipality. Harare Municipality Workers’ Union (HMWU) chairman Mr Cosmas Bungu yesterday said council was owing some employees two months’ salary arreas.
“Currently, the city owes some employees two months’ salary arrears for April and May,” he said.
“As HMWU, we are saying the council should pay them as soon as possible.
“They are now exposing employees to harsh economic conditions and reducing them to beggars and destitutes.”
Mr Bungu said council was also reneging on its promise to give the employees stands.
“The employer had offered to give employees residential stands in lieu of salary arrears as negotiated in terms of the Deed of Settlement Agreement,” he said.
“The agreed position was that the employer was supposed to allocate serviced stands within three months, but they have failed to honour their promise. The employee party has therefore resolved to approach the High Court demanding delivery of the stands as agreed in terms of the Deed of Settlement Agreement and our lawyers Mangezi and Partners have written to the employer demanding performance by the same in terms of the Deed of Settlement Agreement.”
Mr Bungu said council also intended to scrap off bonuses for employees.
“Employer wants to remove the current bonuses and replace with performance bonuses, but we the employees are saying bonuses must continue to be paid in terms of SI 135 /12,” he said.
When contacted for a comment, council spokesperson Mr Michael Chideme yesterday said the issue of workers’ salaries “was work in progress”.
He could not give further details on the subject. Failure by council to pay salaries is happening at a time when the City of Harare is in a deplorable state.
Council is failing to provide basic services to residents. Infrastructure like roads is in a sorry state, while dirty water is being pumped into homes.
Online Reporter