(LUSAKATIMES) Mufulira Council Ponders Cutting Jobs
Mufulira council ponders cutting jobsDecember 29, 2008
Mufulira Town Clerk (TC) Charles Mwandila says the bad work culture at the council has affected revenue collection for the local authority.
Mr. Mwandila told the council during a special meeting held to consider estimates of income and expenditure for 2009 budget that the bad attitude of members of staff has cost the council K11 billion in uncollected revenue.
He said it was shocking that with the labour force of about 400 workers, the performance of the council was below par.
He noted that other councils that had as low as 200 workers such as Livingstone City and Chingola Councils were able to collect revenue which was twice as much as what the Mufulira council was collecting.
“The council collects K189 million in rate charges per month,” Mr. Mwandila said.
He has since appealed to the council to consider reducing what he said was a blotted labour force next year so that the local authority could meet the expectation of the 2009 budget.
Mr. Mwandila said the council should source for money to engage job evaluators to access the performance of workers, noting that those that will not perform will have to appear before the relevant council committees which will decide course of action.
He wondered why the council manages to collect more revenue when it engages school leavers to assist in revenue collection than what permanent workers collect.
The Town Clerk disclosed that the wage bill of permanent workers is K7 billion per annum, which he said did not commensurate with the service delivery provided to the residents.
He said the council and Zambia United Local Authority Workers Union (ZULAWU) should look at ways of striking a balance between the demand for improved workers salaries and quality of service delivery to the public.
During the same meeting, Council Director of Finance, Zakeyo Mbao said the council owes statutory institutions K3.9 billion in un remitted workers contributions.
Mr. Mbao said these institutions include NAPSA, ZULAWU, ZCTU, LASF and workers compensation fund.
He also said other creditors such as ZESCO and the water company are owed K150 million in unsettled service charges.
ZANIS/PS/EML/KSH/ENDS
posted by MrK @ 3:19 PM
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