News / Local
Bulawayo Council workers demand increment
16 Feb 2014 at 14:50hrs | Views
THE Bulawayo City Council is faced with a possible strike as ordinary employees are up in arms with their employer and are demanding an increment of close to 200 percent with reports that the lowest paid worker is getting a basic salary of $180.
The city's town clerk, Mr Middleton Nyoni, who is the highest paid council employee, takes home at least $9 000.
Mr Nyoni's transport, fuel and housing allowances are actually higher than the salaries of thousands of council workers.
Departmental directors and the chamber secretary's basic pay is pegged at $4 627; transport and fuel $821,22; housing allowance $462,70; telephone allowance $26 and a cash allowance of $2 467,58, bringing their total monthly package to $8 404, 50.
According to the council's salary schedule contained in a confidential council report, the lowest paid worker, who is grade one gets a basic salary of $180 that can be incentivised to notch six where they can get up to $241.
Grade two workers get $255 and their maximum notch is $340. Grade three workers get a basic salary of $360. These salary disparities have resulted in the Zimbabwe Urban Councils Workers Union (Bulawayo branch) writing to the local authority demanding an immediate salary adjustment in line with the poverty datum line of $500, noting that most council workers were languishing in poverty.
"It is in the dire need, that the union presents its position paper when council workers are already languishing in poverty, council employees have become an example of employees who cannot afford basic needs in life, which defeats the sole purpose of seeking employment.
"Our workers are earning non-taxable salaries, which is a clear indicator that their families have been condemned to destitution, the lowest paid earns a paltry $180 basic salary while taxable income is at $250, it is against this background that we propose a salary review, the union therefore calls upon council to pay PDL related salaries to the lowest paid worker," reads part of the workers' position paper signed by the union's secretary, Mr Nkosiyabo Masuku.
According to the council report, council employees last had an increment in 2011, when the salary was increased by 20 percent, which saw the lowest paid worker getting $180 up from $150 per month.
However, the workers' request was rejected by the local authority that instead argued it was in no financial position to award them the increment but instead a Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA), which would see workers get a determined allowance across the board.
The council, therefore, came up with five possible options for the proposed allowances, these being $60, $65, $70, $75 and $80. If either these options are implemented it would see the local authority parting with $4 431 350, $4 449 450, $4 467 550, $4 485 650 or $4 503 750 in monthly salaries for a workforce of 3 620.
"The management committee noted that judging from council's weak financial position, which was exacerbated by the directive to cancel domestic debts from the parent ministry; it was not prudent to recommend a general salary increment due to incapacity to meet high value liability.
"However, in order to promote harmonious employment relations with the workforce it would be in the best interest of council to consider the payment of a Cost of Living Adjustment instead of a general pay increase which remains unaffordable at the moment, under the COLA system, workers are paid an agreed allowance across the board irrespective of the grade," reads part of the report.
Contacted for comment, the union's secretary, Mr Masuku, said while they were still engaging the local authority over the issue of salaries, there were high chances that when they consulted their constituency there would be disharmony as it was "morally" wrong for someone to work a full month only to be paid $180.
"I know most people are of the notion that council workers are the highest paid, but this is not true at all because I can tell you that right now the lowest paid worker is getting just $180 which is totally unacceptable and morally wrong.
"As it stands we are afraid that when we report back to our constituency there will be disharmony because we cannot allow this to continue, that is why we are continuously trying to engage the employer. We are now waiting for them to contact us with their response," he said.
The union's secretary said, while they were not going to read much into the town clerk and directors' salaries, all they were saying was that the lowest salary peg be reviewed.
"Our plea is that the lowest salary peg be reviewed because all things being fair how can someone survive with $180, with such figures it is clear that we are by far the lowest paid workers in the country," said Mr Masuku.
Last week, this publication revealed that the local authority was spending a minimum $60 million in salaries while they were collecting about $62 million, meaning as little as $2 million was left for service delivery, which was condemned by residents as it is against the Government stipulated 70 percent service delivery to 30 percent salaries ratio.
The city's town clerk, Mr Middleton Nyoni, who is the highest paid council employee, takes home at least $9 000.
Mr Nyoni's transport, fuel and housing allowances are actually higher than the salaries of thousands of council workers.
Departmental directors and the chamber secretary's basic pay is pegged at $4 627; transport and fuel $821,22; housing allowance $462,70; telephone allowance $26 and a cash allowance of $2 467,58, bringing their total monthly package to $8 404, 50.
According to the council's salary schedule contained in a confidential council report, the lowest paid worker, who is grade one gets a basic salary of $180 that can be incentivised to notch six where they can get up to $241.
Grade two workers get $255 and their maximum notch is $340. Grade three workers get a basic salary of $360. These salary disparities have resulted in the Zimbabwe Urban Councils Workers Union (Bulawayo branch) writing to the local authority demanding an immediate salary adjustment in line with the poverty datum line of $500, noting that most council workers were languishing in poverty.
"It is in the dire need, that the union presents its position paper when council workers are already languishing in poverty, council employees have become an example of employees who cannot afford basic needs in life, which defeats the sole purpose of seeking employment.
"Our workers are earning non-taxable salaries, which is a clear indicator that their families have been condemned to destitution, the lowest paid earns a paltry $180 basic salary while taxable income is at $250, it is against this background that we propose a salary review, the union therefore calls upon council to pay PDL related salaries to the lowest paid worker," reads part of the workers' position paper signed by the union's secretary, Mr Nkosiyabo Masuku.
According to the council report, council employees last had an increment in 2011, when the salary was increased by 20 percent, which saw the lowest paid worker getting $180 up from $150 per month.
However, the workers' request was rejected by the local authority that instead argued it was in no financial position to award them the increment but instead a Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA), which would see workers get a determined allowance across the board.
The council, therefore, came up with five possible options for the proposed allowances, these being $60, $65, $70, $75 and $80. If either these options are implemented it would see the local authority parting with $4 431 350, $4 449 450, $4 467 550, $4 485 650 or $4 503 750 in monthly salaries for a workforce of 3 620.
"The management committee noted that judging from council's weak financial position, which was exacerbated by the directive to cancel domestic debts from the parent ministry; it was not prudent to recommend a general salary increment due to incapacity to meet high value liability.
"However, in order to promote harmonious employment relations with the workforce it would be in the best interest of council to consider the payment of a Cost of Living Adjustment instead of a general pay increase which remains unaffordable at the moment, under the COLA system, workers are paid an agreed allowance across the board irrespective of the grade," reads part of the report.
Contacted for comment, the union's secretary, Mr Masuku, said while they were still engaging the local authority over the issue of salaries, there were high chances that when they consulted their constituency there would be disharmony as it was "morally" wrong for someone to work a full month only to be paid $180.
"I know most people are of the notion that council workers are the highest paid, but this is not true at all because I can tell you that right now the lowest paid worker is getting just $180 which is totally unacceptable and morally wrong.
"As it stands we are afraid that when we report back to our constituency there will be disharmony because we cannot allow this to continue, that is why we are continuously trying to engage the employer. We are now waiting for them to contact us with their response," he said.
The union's secretary said, while they were not going to read much into the town clerk and directors' salaries, all they were saying was that the lowest salary peg be reviewed.
"Our plea is that the lowest salary peg be reviewed because all things being fair how can someone survive with $180, with such figures it is clear that we are by far the lowest paid workers in the country," said Mr Masuku.
Last week, this publication revealed that the local authority was spending a minimum $60 million in salaries while they were collecting about $62 million, meaning as little as $2 million was left for service delivery, which was condemned by residents as it is against the Government stipulated 70 percent service delivery to 30 percent salaries ratio.
Source - Sunday News
