Council employee to get windfall, to pocket $24,000

A Harare City Council employee is set to pocket more than $24 000 in locomotion allowance for using his vehicle for council business for a period of three years.

The unnamed employee in the Harare Water Department approached the Labour Court claiming locomotion allowance for the period November 2013 to date and compensation for use of a personal vehicle on council business for the period July 2010 to October 2013.

The Labour Court awarded the employee $24 800 but the city applied for stay of execution of the arbitral award.

The Labour Court dismissed the application.

According to recent minutes of the Human Resources and General Purposes Committee, acting chamber secretary Mr Charles Kandemiri, advised council that the Labour Court had dismissed councils' application.

"The acting chamber secretary (Mr Kandemiri) reported that council's application to the Labour Court for stay of execution of the arbitral award entitling an employee of the Department of Works to be paid a sum of $24 800 in locomotion allowance for the period November 1, 2013 and compensation for use of personal vehicle on council business during the period July 2010 to October 30, 2013 was dismissed by the Labour Court.

"He accordingly recommended payment of the locomotion allowance and compensation for using his personal vehicle on council business before finalisation of the appeal," reads the minutes.

Council authorised the payment of the $24 800 in full and final settlement of the claim.

The committee also discussed the integration and inter-sectional transfers in the city enforcement division (Harare Metropolitan Police and Traffic Enforcement Sections).

Human capital director Dr Cainos Chingombe, reported that the Harare Metropolitan Police and the Traffic Enforcement Sections were the police arms of council and in order to enhance efficiency and a sense of unity, management had begun to integrate the two sections in line with universal best practices. He told the committee that to date, intersectional transfers had affected the top four levels and the process was ongoing.

"The human capital director (Dr Chingombe) reported that council had already rationalised the grading structure in the two sections and that the structure was now the same.

"Only rationalisation of designations of the lowest operators in the Traffic Enforcement Section was outstanding.

"He further reported that the change process had encountered some resistance but it was being implemented for the good of the organisation and in the best of service delivery," reads the minutes.