Wrongful dismissals cost city US$12,2m

city after winning their labour cases are now facing fresh hearings that are aimed at kicking them out of employment.
Recent full council minutes confirm the manoeuvres to fire some of the reinstated workers who were paid handsomely and the reinstatement of 18 workers who had won arbitration cases.
While the city approved the reinstatement it immediately passed another resolution empowering heads of departments to re-institute disciplinary hearings.
“Council authorises the directors of various departments involved to reinstitute disciplinary proceedings against employees of their respective departments upon their reinstatement into council service,” reads part of the minutes.
Council noted that the 18 represented the last batch of workers to be reinstated after winning cases challenging their dismissal for absenteeism on grounds of procedural irregularities.
On average the city deals with  35 such cases in any given month since 2009.
Facts of the huge payouts emerged in the case in which Harare Municipal Workers chairman Mr Cosmos Bungu is challenging his dismissal from the city on allegations that he absented himself from work for six days.
His lawyer Mr Joel Mambara alleged that his client was being unfairly treated as the city had reinstated workers who had absented themselves for up to six years.
He gave the examples of one Abel Munyaradzi Gwesu who was reinstated after being absent from work from May 22, 2006 to March 13, 2012. He was given a final written warning for the prolonged absenteeism.
In another case Ms Auxillia Samuriwo who extended her leave by five days was also reinstated after a hearing.
Mr Mambara said the law of precedence should be used to deal with Mr Bungu’s case.
Between January and December 2010 the city paid out more than US$8 million in arbitral awards while between January and December 2011 over US$3 million was paid. From January to date over US$1,2 million has been paid out.
Some of the workers were dismissed without a hearing while others were barred from resuming duties after long periods of absence and were not given an opportunity to defend themselves as the Labour Act stipulates.
Labour issues have stolen the limelight at Town House. The city has 9 400 employees, the majority of whom are regarded as excess baggage.
Mayor Muchadeyi Masunda has confirmed that some officials in the human resources department use the city as a vehicle to employ relatives, friends and associates.
The city has 3 500 critical vacant posts that need to be filled. The ideal workforce for Harare is 6 000 employees.
The posts are for engineers, doctors, nurses, technicians and other specialized skills that are required in the daily operations of council.
Council has struggled to raise the US$6.5 million salary bill and often delays in paying its employees.
Mr Masunda said a head count of all employees last year had shown that there are employees in wrong positions whose competencies do not match the type of jobs assigned to them.
“In terms of sheer numbers we look overstaffed,” he said.