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Patrick Chitumba, Midlands Bureau Chief
THE Gweru City Council has approved a new pay structure for its staff that will see the lowest paid worker getting $2 550 with the highest earning $22 627 per month.

The new salary structure is coming after two collective bargaining negotiations held by management and employees representatives. Before this approved pay structure council, which is collecting nearly $3 million from rentals and water charges per month, was using over $2 million towards salaries.

According to the latest council minutes, the workers committee noted with concern that the employer had tampered with the previous agreed grade and notch difference in arriving at the salary structure.

Acting town clerk Mr Vakayi Douglas Chikwekwe said the collective bargaining negotiation for grades 13 to 16 were held on May 18.

“Managerial workers committee had submitted a position paper, which had other conditions of service that parties agreed to shelve and concentrate on salaries levels only.

“The employer representative proposed a 100 percent on current salary levels and managerial workers committee was proposing 600 percent increment. And on further deliberation they went to 250 percent before settling for 150 percent,” reads the minutes.

Negotiations for grade 1 to 12 , the minutes noted, were held on May 21.

“The workers committee had submitted their position paper requesting to be paid above the poverty datum line at $7 930 basic salary or alternatively to revert to the 2015 agreed salary structure, which placed the lowest paid employee at US$450, which translates to $11 930. Computations were done for the two scenarios.

“If the lowest were to be awarded $7 930, it would imply that grade 16 would earn $125 358. The structure would translate to a gross salary of $22 252 543 and a net salary of $14 464 153,” said council.

“If council awards the lowest at $11 250, the highest employee would earn 177 827, which translates to a gross salary of $31 171 054 and a net salary of $20 261 185.

“Parties deliberated and agreed that the above two options were above the reach of council considering the lockdown and the low cash inflows,” reads part of the minutes.

Parties, however, agreed that once the cash flow improves, they will have to renegotiate the salary level upwards.

“Parties ended up agreeing to offer the lowest at $2 250 and the highest at $22 627. Recommendations are that council approaches the payment of the salary structure, that council approaches the Works Council to continue with the negotiations on June 16,” reads part of the minutes.