WE HAVE PAID EVERYONE - LCC

By NATION REPORTER EMPLOYEES at Dzithandizeni Trust Trade School in Garden compound have complained that the Lusaka City Council (LCC) has failed to pay their salaries for four months now. Lusaka town clerk, Alex Mwansa however dispelled the allegations, claiming that the local authority had paid all employee salaries up to June.

The irate employees told the Daily Nation that the institution had been limping ever since it was placed under the care of the Council.

According to the employees, the trust school was started as a skills training Centre run by the community with assistance from the Danish government.

After picking up pace and introducing some more lifesaving skills courses, the institution was left entirely into the hands of the community.

One of the employees whose name has been withheld, said that the school was doing very well and making progress until it was placed under the Council.

The employee said that the institution was now facing a lot of operational challenges and that employees had not been paid their salaries for four months.

“It’s now been four months and we are not seeing our salaries. It’s only after the Council took over this institution that we are facing many challenges. This institution was Àourishing when it was under the care of the community. The Council has just messed up everything,” the employee said.

Another employee demanded that the institution should be placed under the care of the community or office of the area Member of Parliament if it was to be resuscitated.

He reiterated that it was clear that the local authority had failed to run the school, saying that the standards had been going down since the council took over.

And a former Dzithandizeni Trust Trade School employee, who also spoke under anonymity maintained that the institution was no longer what it used to be.

The former employee disclosed that he was among the employees placed on forced leave immediately the local authority took over the school.

“They told us that we would be recalled once they are done with auditing and other formalities but up to now nothing,” the former employee lamented.

The former employee also said that the local authority had failed to pay retirees their dues despite the court ruling in their favour.

Meanwhile, Mr Mwansa dispelled the claims, saying that all employees under the local authority had been paid salaries up to June.

“All of us have been paid up to June, we started paying for July last week and we started with general workers. So no one is in arrears of 4 months,” he said.

Mr Mwansa also said that LCC had been putting aside about K300, 000 every month for salaries and paying them according to its plan.