Gweru City Workers Demand Clarity on Unpaid Decemb...

Gweru City Workers Demand Clarity on Unpaid December Salaries

Witness Runodada

Zim Now Writer

Gweru City Council employees are growing increasingly frustrated over the lack of clarity regarding their unpaid December 2024 salaries and bonuses...

While workers received their full January 2025 pay, there has been no update on their outstanding dues from the previous year.

Weeks ago, ZimNow reached out to Brilliant Munyamani, chairperson of the Gweru Union Branch, who attributed the delay to the city's financial struggles, citing a significant drop in cash inflows throughout 2024. Munyamani revealed that Gweru Municipality is facing a US$9 million deficit to cover workers’ salaries, with the total wage bill standing at approximately US$15 million.

Adding to the tension, reports surfaced that some supervisors raised concerns about late arrivals or absenteeism, allegedly due to employees attending Workers Council meetings.

Acting Chamber Secretary T.D.F. Marerwa responded in a memorandum, clarifying that no employee could claim to be attending Workers Council business without written clearance from both their supervisor and the Human Resources Office.

On February 3, 2025, the Gweru Municipality Workers Committee submitted a memorandum to the Acting Town Clerk, expressing dissatisfaction over the unpaid December salaries, outstanding wages, and unpaid bonuses for employees in grades 8 to 12.

The committee demanded clarity within seven working days, warning that failure to address the issue would lead to their grievances being escalated to higher authorities.

In response, Marerwa assured workers that a Works Council meeting would be scheduled in the second week of February 2025, where an update on the matter would be provided for further communication with employees.