GWERU City Council workers have given their employer a
notice to demonstrate at Town House to force the local authority to implement a
High Court order to reverse a 2014 salary cut directed by then Local Government
minister, Saviour Kasukuwere.
Kasukuwere ordered a salary cut of up to 58% for council
workers in October 2014, but the workers successfully challenged the order at
the High Court, which they won in 2016.
However, since then the city council has not complied with
the High Court order.
Kudakwashe Munengiwa, Zimbabwe Urban Council Workers Union
(ZUCWU) chairperson’s Gweru branch, confirmed the planned demonstrations, which
he said would result in a full blown strike if the council does not address the
matter urgently.
“We held a general council meeting last week and the
leadership was tasked to notify the employer of the impending demonstrations at
Town House to push for implementation of the High Court order in a case of
Edward Pise and 58 others, who successfully won a case to have former minister
Kasukuwere’s directive on salary cuts be reversed. We are saddened that, while
the order was granted in 2016, the city council has not complied. Workers are
still being paid the cut salaries,” he said.
Munengiwa also pointed out that the current economic
hardships had pushed the workers into taking a confrontational approach to the
issue.
“So, according to the notice we gave the employer, from
this Wednesday, we are going to be demonstrating at Town House during lunch
hours. We will continue to do so for some reasonable time and if nothing comes
out from the employer, then we will go for a full blown strike. If the employer
can act on this issue, we will be available for talks, so that we achieve
industrial harmony,” Munengiwa said.
0 comments:
Post a Comment