Council refuses arbitration with unpaid workers, offers salary cuts

The Municipality of Gwanda has refused to go for volunteering arbitration with its workers over unpaid workers stretching for up to over five months.

The council owes workers outstanding wages of nearly $500 000 which early this year led to the employees going on a two day strike that only ended with council signing a rather tough payment arrangement which they failed to live to. Following the failure to live to the arrangement that was forcing the financially crippled council to pay the outstanding wages over four months at the same time settling the current wages, the workers resolved to take council to court seeking to attach council property over the wages.

Urban Councils Workers Union Chairman for Gwanda Branch, Mr Sipho Ndlovu told Bulawayo24 that council is refusing to sign the acknowledge of debt that they need to take to court to use to attach the property. After refusing to sign the acknowledgement of debt, the workers sort to draw council to a volunteering arbitration which council also refused.

"We have got to a deadlock with council. They refused to sign an acknowledgement of debt there by denying us means to take them to court to attach property as security for our money. After they refused to sign we invited them for voluntary arbitration which they have also refused to go for claiming that they have plans in place to settle the wages but we are saying they have already taken so long and failed on previous promises," said Ndlovu.

According to Ndlovu, instead of council putting down their proposed plan to settle the wages, they are trying to force a wage reduction on the council employees.

"Instead of them telling us exactly how they plan to settle our outstanding wages, the councillors are shockingly trying to force us to accept a wage reduction something which we are never going to accept," he said.

The workers were awarded a shocking 75% salary increase at the beginning of the year after a collective bargaining exercises between council and the workers. The Municipality also hit headlines when it was revealed that the Town Clerk of the small town was the second highest paid council boss after the City of Harare town clerk with a salary of over $16 000 per month. In contrast the Municipality is one of the urban councils with the least revenue collection base and lowest revenue collection ratio in the country seriously compromising the town's service delivery provision.

Contacted for a comment one council employee who refused to be named said that as workers they are not going to take any wage reduction nor any more excuses for their outstanding wages. According to the employee, the councillors campaigned for votes from the council employees in the run up to the election promising them a better wage and better working conditions.

"The councillors came to us campaigning and promising us improved wages and better working conditions. They gave us a salary increase of 75% as soon as they took office trying to please us and now they can't pay and are forcing us to accept a 50% wage cut and we are not going to accept that," said the employee.

Asked for a comment to that effect, Ndlovu said that the councillors gave the wage increase and must continue paying the wage.

"Council paid the new wage for two months and if you offer a new wage and pay it once or twice then the wage is standing. Its not our fault that they are now failing to pay the wage and we can't accept a reduction at all," said Ndlovu.

In another report from the workers union, council is reportedly also failing to pay casual workers which it engaged to carry out road works under a programme financed by the Zimbabwe National Roads Agency ZINARA. Ndlovu claims that council still hasn't paid casual workers for a job done four to five months ago.

"Its very sad that Council was given money by ZINARA to carry out some road works using casual labour and after the job was done council still hasn't even paid the casual workers their money."

Comment could not be obtained from the Acting Town Clerk but a gentlemen who answered the phone in the Town Clerk's office referred all questions to the Mayor who was also not available in his office.