Meeting on Chipata council impasse fails to take off

Meeting on Chipata council impasse fails to take off
By Christopher Miti in Chipata
Wed 28 Dec. 2011, 13:20 CAT

CHIPATA Municipal Council has postponed a meeting aimed at resolving the impasse between town clerk Golden Banda and unionised workers who are calling for his removal.

Zambia United Local Workers Union (ZULAWU) Chipata branch vice-chairperson Cephas Phiri confirmed the development in an interview yesterday. Phiri said he had learnt about the postponement of a meeting through a notice that was written by council's director of administration.

"We are surprised to see that the director of administration had put up a notice that the meeting had been cancelled. We are surprised because the director of administration cannot involve herself in this matter because we had lodged our grievances to the mayor and the provincial local government officer. I am still waiting for my chairman to come so that we can see his worship the mayor to get a clarification over the same," Phiri said.

Asked about his suspension, Phiri said he never received his suspension letter because it was taken to him in the night.

"I refused to get the letter at 20 hours on Thursday and I said I will get it the following day but up to now, I haven't received it. So as far as I am concerned, I am not on suspension until I receive that letter," Phiri said.

He said the union was not aware that the town clerk and the director of finance had been summoned to Lusaka.

Unionised workers were calling for the removal of the Chipata town clerk and top management officers who they accuse of having failed to run the council in an effective manner.

The workers accused the council of not remitting workers contributions to insurance companies and Local Authority Superannuation Fund (LASF).

They also allege that the town clerk got over K40 million during his trip to Cameroon when the council was faced with financial difficulties.

But Banda told journalists last Thursday that the allegations levelled against him were baseless and that the workers were being incited by former top management officers who were transferred from the council.

He said he found the LASF problems when he became town clerk.

Banda said his trip to Cameroon was sanctioned by Cabinet.