Maravi

‘Chilubi council owes workers 52 months’ salary arrears’

‘Chilubi council owes workers 52 months’ salary arrears’
By Florence Bupe
Sun 23 May 2010, 04:00 CAT

CHILUBI district council owes its workers salary arrears of up to 52 months, council secretary Reagan Kalumba has told the Parliamentary Committee on Local Government, Housing and Chiefs’ Affairs.

And the Committee has observed that the underperformance by most district councils was stifling efforts to decentralise local authorities. Appearing before the Committee, Kalumba disclosed that council employees had not received their salaries owed from 2002 to 2006.

“As a council we have outstanding salary arrears of about 52 months. Our workers were not paid from the period around 2002 to 2006, but from 2007 to date we have cleared their salaries,” he said.

The council has a workforce of 27 with a total wage bill of K38 million but the local authority makes a meagre K6 million as its monthly revenue.

Kalumba earlier told the Committee that statutory obligations to the National Pensions Scheme Authority (NAPSA) and the Local Authority Superannuation Fund (LASF) were up to date but withdrew his assurance after the Committee members queried.

And Chienge district council secretary Stanley Zulu disclosed that the local authority had a salary backlog of K480 million stretching over the last eight months.

“We are not up to date with salary arrears, and it has been a struggle to survive. We know with 41 workers, we are overstaffed and we are strategising ways of shedding off some staff members in order to cut down on the wage bill,” said Zulu.

Committee acting chairperson Mwimba Malama urged councils to pull up their socks and improve their performance in order for efforts of decentralisation to come to fruition.

Labels: CHILUBI DISTRICT, REAGAN KALUMBA, SALARIES

posted by MrK @ 4:52 AM