Africa-Press – Zambia. The Zambia United Local Authorities Workers Union (ZULAWU) has called on the Ministry of Local Government to address the plight of delayed payments of salaries and improved conditions of service for council employees across the country.
Speaking during the ZULAWU Executive Council meeting at Mika hotel , ZULAWU Acting President Margarate Jere noted with concern that Council workers have not been receiving their salaries on time, a situation which is deemed unfit for the welfare of the workers.
Ms Jere highlighted the need to draw a road map that puts Council workers on a centralised payroll system with a fixed pay day. “The removal of political party cadres from markets and bus stations has enabled us to be so determined to collect revenues accordingly,” she said
She added that a 10% or 15% of revenue collected from the Toll gate fees should be allocated to the Council as it will be a source of income generation for the Council workers to also help them to pay outstanding dues of Council retirees.
Meanwhile, Local Government Minister Garry Nkombo has assured Council workers of government’s commitment to implementing the decentralisation policy, as there can never be meaningful development without job creation, decent work, and industrial harmony.
He noted that government is aware of the human resource committees that are being established in all the local authorities in line with the service commissions Act No.10 of 2016 which states the devolution of power to handle staff matters by the lower organs in the local authorities under the decentralisation policy.
“I want to re-affirm government’s commitment to the implementation of the decentralisation policy as it is the only policy tool to attain national development through the creation of decent jobs,” he said
Mr Nkombo assured Council workers of a highly disciplined workforce in the service that will enable the government to deliver and account for both locally generated funds and those received from the central government through Local Government equalisation fund.
He has since urged Labour Unions to remain committed in servicing both the government of the day and members whom they are mandated to represent, and to remain objective for the purposes of achieving the expectations their members.
Mr Nkombo urged them to uphold the principle of dialogue in coming up with a win-win outcome. And Local Government Service Commission Chairman Amos Musonda highlighted that as a commission they will ensure that they study the UPND manifesto and disseminate information to the 16 Local Authorities as chief advisors.
Mr Musonda also said 70 percent of the disciplinary actions and dismissals that the Commission has undertaken is for pilfering of the council resources. He has since urged the union to educate their members on the need to guard the revenue they generate for the benefit of the people they serve.
The Executive Council meeting was held under Theme ‘Implementing the Decentralised Policy, for the Achievement of National Development through Job Creation, Decent Work and Industrial Harmony in the New Dawn’
