MUTARE– Workers under three municipality labor unions have given notice of their intention to picket at council offices following a deadlock during salary increment negotiations.
The workers are represented in local chapters of the Zimbabwe Urban Councils Workers Union (ZUCWU) Water and Allied Union of Zimbabwe (WAWUZ) and the Zimbabwe Urban and Rural Council Workers Union (ZURCWU).
In their notice dated March 31, the disgruntled workers accused their employer of being inconsiderate by offering a paltry minimum basic gazetted salary of ZWL$5099, 00.
“After a series of engagement over salary negotiations since January this year, on the 25th of March 2021, City of Mutare management and the three trade unions workers representatives reached a deadlock over salary increment.
“The deadlock has lengthened the workers’ suffering whilst City of Mutare management remained stagnant at offering a pittance basic salary increment to a paltry current minimum basic salary gazetted at $5099, 00.
“We believe our management is being inconsiderate insincere and impartial against the employees considering salary scales obtaining in the hierarchy of the same institution,” read part of notice to Officer Commanding (ZRP) Mutare District.
The labour unions are part of a City of Mutare Works Council, which has been split by recent supping of labour union leaders with management at a strategic planning retreat in Masvingo which gobbled ZWL$3 million.
Insiders said this decision to attend the meeting with councillors, directors and senior management at council has backfired on the labour union leaders as the workers have now ditched them.
Council management is reportedly in sixes and sevens on how to deal with the current labour deadlock having battled to clear a backlog of salary arrears stretching for years.
City of Mutare spokesperson Spren Mutiwi was not available for comment at the time of going to press.
