Some workers at Kasama Municipal Council in Northern Province have complained of non-payment of their salaries for the past four months now.
The workers at the Council have threatened to go on strike if management does not pay them their salaries arrears by this month-end.
Some council employees, who preferred to be anonymous, told ZANIS in Kasama yesterday that they have not received their salaries since March, this year.
The workers have since accused Council management of being insensitive to their plight.
They charged that management had deliberately chosen to render a deaf ear to the suffering of workers and their families.
The workers revealed that Council was collecting millions of Kwacha from revenue sources but wondered how the funds were being utilised.
They explained that despite management making promises to pay workers their monies nothing tangible had so far happened.
The workers have since appealed to Government authorities to intervene in the problems that have rocked Kasama Municipal Council.
Efforts to get a comment from Acting Council Town Clerk Victor Kakoma proved futile.
But Kasama Mayor Fidelis Chishoma yesterday also complained that Councillors had not been paid their sitting allowances for meetings that they have had in the last four (4) months.
Mr. Chishoma said the Councillors were entitled to sitting allowances each time they met for council meetings but regretted the non-payment of their dues.
He, however, claimed that Kasama Municipal Council currently did not have adequate funds to pay its workers and Councillors their monies and urged the affected individuals to be patient with the local authority.
[ ZANIS ]
Another council controlled by the, ’90 days’ theorists.
There is serious need for local government reform in Zambia, using a number of models, e.g., strong- mayor system where mayors are elected at-large either on party (UK) or non-partisan (US) lines. How can an employee not be paid for 4 months and not be “corruptable”?
These revenues collected by the councils do not go in the hands of PF, Na1 my bro. Walishalila. Its the govt-MMD that is getting this money for campagns and thereafter implicating PF for being the custodians of these offices. If not, audit them and incacerate all including Sata like Katele is seen life as he has never seen it before.
1. Councils stand a better chance of improving our township (as at present), problem is govt wants to amass every coin and release none.
2. Partisan councils must be disbanded because the govt finds it as a scape goat while they are enlarging their own bellies with these suffering workers salaries and blaming them for being opposition.
3. Or let the church run our councils though with a strong regulatory framework like the Catholic.
Modern day slavery and human rights being violated with impunity. The fat cats are getting their dues without any problem. Denying workers their wages for 4 months is inhuman.
It is not anybody`s secret that the biggest chunk of the finances used to run the councils used to be raised from rentals coming from the council owned houses.But the sale of those same housing units without a proper deliberate plan being put in place to build new ones has severely crippled the councils.Blaming PF for the problem is not the solution.These problems have been there for sometime, i remember during chiluba`s reign when the council workers in serenje went for about nine months without pay.There is just more to it than what meets the eye.
why did they fire Victor Zimba (Town clerk) and Tamba(Planning Officer),now you are paying the price of engaging un educated and inexperienced officers.
Well, Chiluba sold council houses which generated revenue to fund civic duties without a plan on where funding was going to come from. Nomba lekeni lunye lwakwa Noah tata!
Come on you thick GRZ! are you gonna pay the folks just before elections? These people need to be paid so that they are not corrupt! Kasama is a big council, but if you refuse t pay them, then let them govern themselves please! I am sure they will generate enough income to do that!.
Ba LT u need 2 be checking ur facts b4 publishing it not copy n pasting.workers are in arrears bt its not 4 but 2 months and no one is threatening 2 go on strike.problem is govt is oways grabbing revenue sources 4 councils.councils now depend on revenue 4rm markets and bus stations which is very little.by the way acting town clerk is Gift Kakoma and not Victor Kakoma.
THis is very funny mwabantu, they are failling ti give you your own money that you have worked for ,so that you can buy food for today but they are promising you that tthey will pay you alot after electins ,mwebabuteko sure twafweniko.