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Marvelous Moyo, Gwanda Correspondent
GWANDA Municipality has slashed salaries of its workers after adopting a new salary structure.
The development is in line with the government’s stipulated regulation that salaries should not exceed 30 percent of total revenue, with 70 percent being channelled towards service delivery.

Prior to the salary cut, a huge chunk, about 70 percent of council’s total revenue, was going towards the payment of salaries.
The slashing of the salaries has seen the lowest paid worker earning about $400 and the highest getting around $3,000.

This means that the town clerk, Priscilla Nkala, whose salary was around $18,000 inclusive of allowances is no longer earning above $3,000.

The Mayor, Councillor Knowledge Ndlovu, confirmed that downward adjustments were made to workers’ salaries but did not have the new salary figures at hand.

Clr Ndlovu, however, expressed gratitude to Gwanda residents for improving on paying bills during the festive season.

“Revenue inflows improved during the festive season and we are grateful to the town residents. If residents continue with the same spirit, the payment of workers’ salaries would also improve especially with the recent adopted salaries structure,” he said.

The Zimbabwe Urban Councils Workers’ Union (ZUCWU) Gwanda Branch chairperson Sipho Ndlovu claimed that the recently adopted salary structure was temporary.

“A new salary structure was temporarily adopted in November and we really appreciate that. Workers received their salaries for October and November but some are yet to get December salaries. What we want is for the municipality to pay workers their salaries every month,” said Ndlovu.

“However, despite the slashing of the salaries, the municipality is still struggling to pay workers on time.”

Ndlovu said the Works Council would soon meet to map the way forward as workers were still owed four months salaries.

Gwanda municipality is among the few local authorities that have complied with the government’s directive to slash salaries.