News / Local
Council strike entered second day
25 Apr 2012 at 03:44hrs | Views
THE strike by the Bulawayo City Council workers over delays in the payment of salaries entered its second day yesterday with no solution in sight amid revelations that negotiations collapsed yesterday afternoon.
The Zimbabwe Urban Councils Workers' Union (ZUCWU) leaders met council management for four hours between 11am and 3.30pm but failed to reach an agreement.
As the workers' representatives were locked in the meeting with the management, hundreds of their colleagues spent the day lying on the lawn at Tower Block grounds. Tower Block houses the council offices.
The workers only dispersed at about 4.30pm after an address by their representatives, who told them to return to the same place today as the strike was continuing.
The strike has paralysed council operations.
Suburbs such as Paddonhurst, Sunnyside, North End, Tegela and Romney Park were still without water yesterday following a burst pipe which was reported on Monday. The pipe could not be fixed because of the strike.
Clinics continued to turn away patients as there are no workers to attend to them.
Garbage is piling up at a number of points in the city centre and the most affected areas are Basch Street Terminus commonly known as Egodini, Lobengula Street and the market place along 5th Avenue between Robert Mugabe Way and George Silundika Street.
The heaps of garbage are mainly of rotting tomatoes, banana peels, cabbages, onions and potatoes. Council is supposed to collect refuse at the market place everyday.
Contacted for comment last night, the Town Clerk, Mr Middleton Nyoni, confirmed meeting the workers' representatives and said they went through their demands.
"As council we are willing to pay our workers. We met the workers' leaders and we agreed that they should meet their members and then give us the feedback of their meeting," said Mr Nyoni.
The Zimbabwe Urban Councils Workers' Union (ZUCWU) leaders met council management for four hours between 11am and 3.30pm but failed to reach an agreement.
As the workers' representatives were locked in the meeting with the management, hundreds of their colleagues spent the day lying on the lawn at Tower Block grounds. Tower Block houses the council offices.
The workers only dispersed at about 4.30pm after an address by their representatives, who told them to return to the same place today as the strike was continuing.
The strike has paralysed council operations.
Suburbs such as Paddonhurst, Sunnyside, North End, Tegela and Romney Park were still without water yesterday following a burst pipe which was reported on Monday. The pipe could not be fixed because of the strike.
Clinics continued to turn away patients as there are no workers to attend to them.
Garbage is piling up at a number of points in the city centre and the most affected areas are Basch Street Terminus commonly known as Egodini, Lobengula Street and the market place along 5th Avenue between Robert Mugabe Way and George Silundika Street.
The heaps of garbage are mainly of rotting tomatoes, banana peels, cabbages, onions and potatoes. Council is supposed to collect refuse at the market place everyday.
Contacted for comment last night, the Town Clerk, Mr Middleton Nyoni, confirmed meeting the workers' representatives and said they went through their demands.
"As council we are willing to pay our workers. We met the workers' leaders and we agreed that they should meet their members and then give us the feedback of their meeting," said Mr Nyoni.
Source - Byo24News
