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Sallomy Matare, Municipal Reporter
Harare Mayor Councillor Herbert Gomba has challenged council workers to bring in more money if their salaries are to be increased.
This follows recent demands by the workers for a six-fold salary increment.
Senior managers secretly increased their salaries by 300 percent recently, instead of a proposed 50 percent.
The least-paid municipal worker will be getting $1 000 a month, while the top bosses will be pocketing between $22 000 and $33 000 a month.
In an interview, Clr Gomba yesterday said the workers should work harder as “you reap what you sow”.
“I would want to encourage them to bring more money,” he said.
“It is not just a matter of coming to the employer to seek for an increment, it is also for them to work very hard and be highly productive so that they can bring in the much-needed revenue.
“It’s them that go out and hunt for us. You eat what you kill. They must increase their hunting so that we can then give them a bigger piece. If they bring a rat, I will be constrained in terms of what we can agree with them.”
Clr Gomba said workers’ salaries were increased at the end of last year and council had not discussed any further increments for this year.
“We have a standing agreement,” he said. “We increased salaries last December. If there are enquiries, we intend to sit with them and discuss how we can proceed to ensure that we give them or not, depending on the outcome of the negotiations at the employment council.
“The lowest paid worker is now getting $1 000 and we are also giving cushioning allowances.”
The chairperson of the Human Resource Committee, Clr Jacob Mafume, dismissed allegations of salary increments for top bosses, saying there were only proposals.
“We have not increased any salaries since December last year,” he said. “What we have are only proposals.”
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