THE cash-strapped Marondera Town Council has tabled plans to retrench a quarter of its workforce of about 400 employees in a bid to reduce the wage bill in line with the recent government directive which advocates a 70:30 salary-service delivery ratio.
By Jairos Saunyama
The planned massive retrenchment exercise comes at a time a paltry 42 workers had applied for voluntary retrenchment.
A reliable source said a storm was brewing at the council with some of the targetted workers, mostly top managers, threatening to resist the move.
“The most affected are the deputies from different departments who had become sitting ducks and getting paid for nothing. Some departments had two deputies and these have been retrenched,” said a council insider who declined to be named.
“The voluntary retrenchment offer was done to get rid of some of the management workers, but they refused to apply, leaving authorities with no option, but to retrench them. Some have received letters informing them that they have been retrenched while others are yet to receive their letters.”
Marondera town clerk Josiah Musuwo and chamber secretary Runesu Nyamuzihwa could not be reached for comment yesterday as they were reportedly locked up in meetings to finalise the issue.
Staff committee chairman Councillor Kennedy Muraicho yesterday confirmed that 42 people had applied for voluntary retrenchment.
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“What I can tell you is that we have received only 42 voluntary retrenchment applications. We are going to look into them and see who should leave or not,” said Muraicho.
Local Government minister Ignatius Chombo recently said the government will not approve any council budget for 2015 which does not conform to the 70:30 ratio.
