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Patrick Chitumba

Midlands Bureau Chief

Gweru City Council has approved a new pay structure for council employees that will see the least-paid w0rker getting $2 550 and the highest earning $22 627 per month.

The new salary structure comes 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 from residents and businesses per month, was using over $2 million towards salaries.

According to the latest council minutes, the workers’ committee noted with concern that the city had tempered with the previously 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, which parties agreed to shelve and concentrate on salaries levels only,” he said.

“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.”

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,” reads the minutes.” read the minutes.

The parties agreed that once the cash flow improved, they would have to renegotiate the salary level upwards.