Mwanza District Council staff go two months without pay: Hold vigil

Mwanza District Council direct employees have embarked on a vigil at the District Commissioner’s office demanding payment of salary arrears for May and June, 2018.

In an interview during the vigil, a representative of the employees, Davis Puruma said they converged at the office to force management to pay them their salary arrears, claiming that the council has failed to pay them in May and June.

“We will be on vigil here until management pays us all in full our two months salaries so that we can pay house rentals, buy food and pay school fees for our children, among others,” said Puruma who works as a deceased estates officer at the council.

He added the members of staff were also asking for their leave grants which he claimed have not been paid since 2015. He further said employees have been engaging management for negotiations on the matter but the council has not been forthcoming to address the issue.

Speaking in a separate interview with Mana, District Commissioner for Mwanza, Humphrey Gondwe confirmed the development, attributing it to inadequate revenue collection by the council.

“As I am talking to you now, the council has managed to source money but it is not enough to pay the staff for the two months. Instead the money will be paid to staff as salary arrears for May only, remaining with June,” said Gondwe.

According to Gondwe, an average of K30, 000 (thirty thousand Kwacha) per day is collected by the council from its market fees which, he said, is far from the monthly K1.9 million wage bill for its direct employees.

Gondwe, therefore, appealed for patience from the affected staff, saying the council is doing all it could to pay their June salaries and leave grant arrears as soon as possible.

“Meanwhile, we are exploring our sources of revenue in order to clear off the arrears that the council owes its staff,” explained Gondwe.

Mwanza District Council has about 40 direct employees comprising clerks, cleaners, market masters/mistresses, messengers, accounts personnel and security guards. It largely relies on market fees as its main source of revenue to pay its direct staff.

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