City overtime ban was overdue

EDITOR - The decision by Minister of Local Government, Rural and Urban Development, Dr Ignatius Chombo, on Tuesday 21 August 2012, to ban the payment of overtime wages to Harare City Council and Chitungwiza Town Council employees could not have come at a better time.

The bold decision could serve revenue for the two local authorities if implemented and adhered to.

The move would also gear workers for work hard during normal time like what every worker is expected to do especial, in government controlled institutions.

There are reports that local authorities are paying huge sums of money to their employees who were deemed to have worked overtime yet service deliveries in both local authorities are diminishing at alarming rates.

It is a bad habit by the two local authority employees to delay working at normal times so that they would work overtime hoping to reap more than expected.

Dr Chombo`s foresight must be applauded as it is the right and decisive direction which would put normalcy in the handling of revenue bases in those local authorities.

  A lot of workers in the two local authorities were approaching their work lackadaisically during normal hours only to be serious with it after hours. It was a planned operation by the workers to reap more using overtime yet they would have done little for the people.

Council workers, in both Harare and Chitungwiza, were taking a lot of time during normal working time to attend to burst sewer pipes only to resurface during odd hours hoping to get overtime payments from their employers.

The ban could have taken a long time to be pronounced but at least the Minister of Local Government has taken a bold move. Such a move has shown the workers of both local authorities that the time of laziness is over. Workers must be paid for the work done expeditiously not for hook and crook.

The Minister should also go further into dealing decisively with councilors around the country who have a tendency of awarding themselves substantial amounts in Traveling and Substance allowances.

Councilors are reportedly milking out various councils through having unsanctioned journeys in which they later claim allowances thereby prejudicing councils.

They award themselves vast amounts of allowances yet nothing tangible for the people could have been put forward to justify use of the money

Councilors and employees are rushing into milking out councils` money across the country at the time when service deliveries are diminishing rapidly.

In Harare and Chitungwiza water problems are the order of the day. In areas like Mabvuku and Tafara, residents are no longer having clean water from the City council. They have resorted to drilling boreholes to get clean water.

While residents are failing to get clean water, senior council managers in Harare are said to be getting unrealistic dressing and entertainment allowances which they are not entitled to. They are making sure that they get unjustified packs without justifying their presence in the City Council.

 Payment of overtime allowances to employees happened daily with their blessing. There was no mechanism to monitor whether there was any need for overtime to be paid for any particular work.

As such senior council managers are not supposed to get dressing and entertainment allowances when councils are failing on service delivery.

The fact that workers are allowed to claim overtime allowances in a situation where the work could have been done on normal time shows legalized corrupt activities agreed between the senior and their juniors.

Overtime ban in Harare City Council and Chitungwiza Town Council employees must send shockwaves to other local authorities around the country who are doing the same to desist from that.

As a measure to stop the abuse of local authorities` monies around the country, the Minister should also direct that all councils must do away with overtime work. Any employee in any local authority should be like a civil servant who works for long hours on the same salary scale.