Council workers go without pay
HARARE City Council has been struggling to pay its employees since January this year, it has emerged.
Ironically, the local authority has recruited over 600 employees since the beginning of the year.
A source at council told this publication that life for workers had become a nightmare due financial constraints.
“Our situation is very sad as workers because we have gone for almost three months without pay,” he said. “We have many obligations as individuals which we are failing to meet due to this non-payment of our salaries.
“We wonder how our employer expects us to report for work every day under such circumstances.”
The source said council’s failure to honour salary obligations had compromised service delivery, with some employees engaging in underhand activities to make ends meet.
“Service delivery has been hampered because of this reason,” he said. “Workers are now resorting to corrupt activities to get money from ratepayers so that we can survive.
“For instance, if you move around council clinics, some nurses are indulging in these corrupt activities. They end up assisting patients who can give them something in return. This is what is transpiring in most council departments.”
Council spokesperson Mr Michael Chideme said salary payments were “work in progress” and that delays were caused by financial constraints.
“We are progressively paying for January 2019 salaries and as of now we are paying Grade 11 employees,” he said. “The major challenge is that we are not getting enough revenue from consumers of municipal services.”