Council splashes US$ on employees
By Lovemore Chazingwa
In a move resembling a January disease buster, City of Kadoma earned a soft spot among workers when it performed the unexpected, paying outstanding dues on salary arrears dating back four months ago.
The employees’ bank balances started fattening during the first full week of the year. Some of the employees could be seen alerting their counterparts of the windfall either by way of physically advising them to check with their respective banks or going for a banking hall enquiry.
One of the employees said they were getting monies on an ‘unusually regular basis’ as they continued receiving bank credits notification on their phones.
“I started receiving some US dollars early January on unusual frequent times. There were several deposits into my account from council. There has been another credit to my account on the ZIG component.
Initially, I thought it was a loan cash back but, upon further inquiry, I was informed these are salary arrears that every worker is receiving. As we speak, my workmate has told me to check for some more since he has already received such in his account. He is an account holder at ZB Bank. My delay could be because I bank with a third party,” said a worker when contacted.
Preferring anonymity the worker added: “I was able to take care of my children’s school requirements for the new academic year and other financial obligations,”
Quizzed on the veracity of the cash windfall for its employees, director central administration, Willard Mangwengwende said finance department had indeed credited workers’ accounts to clear a nagging backlog.
“We gave them a month’s salary arrears on the ZIG component plus four months clearance on the US dollar deficit,” said the source in a swift WhatsApp reply.
Kadoma council monthly date falls on the 26th, reliable word informs.
Some local authorities, City of Kadoma and Chegutu Town in particular, have been dogged by salary arrears for employees at times stretching up to six months. These gaps continue to trigger unrest within the workforce. In Kadoma, council personnel has resorted to measures among them, strikes, sit-ins and truncated working hours in a bid to force management into paying them.
In some instances they cited incapacitation.
An emotive workers committee meeting at Rimuka Hall, Kadoma, over unpaid salaries and perks early last year heard that councils in the ilk of Mutare City and Marondera Town have a reputation of honouring pay dues religiously, leaving no room for financial tiff between authorities and workers.
In the latter scenario, service has arguably run smoothly.
City of Kadoma is notorious for employing a memo system whereby one approaches the city purse and explains their situation before cash can be released for that particular individual.
The system, impeccable sources say, is disadvantageous at the same time prone to abuse.
In his clarion call for improved service delivery, President ED Mnangagwa introduced a blueprint last year ‘A Call To Action: No Compromise on Service Delivery’ for all councils. The objectives of the policy position include a need for municipalities to improve on their revenue collection models.
It also emphasizes timely, affordable and competitive remuneration for services rendered by the workforce.
