HCC rocked by absenteeism

  According to NewsDay, there have been severe incidences of absenteeism at the Harare City Council (HCC), with employees allegedly skipping work due to unpaid salary. Themba Musarurwa, the president of the Water and Allied Workers Union of Zimbabwe, told NewsDay yesterday that the disciplinary cases regarding absence at the city council had swamped his organization, which represents workers in all local councils around Zimbabwe.We have been to the hearings for our employees who are facing charges related to their lack of attendance. We are workers' representatives, but the employer [HCC] is unaware of this, he said. All of this is due to late salary payments.  

  "We're heading to the Independence holiday, yet some employees went to the Easter break without getting paid. How then do they manage to survive? Some council employees, according to Musarurwa, were walking great distances for work. He said, "We have also been informed that our employer is not being able to transact due to the new currency, and workers are even not making their rent payments on time." Musarurwa recently accused the fathers of the city of ignoring their labor force, claiming that many workers were afraid to retire since they had no savings because of their low pay. Mayor of Harare Jacob Mafume, however, attributed the development to the challenging economic climate the nation is currently experiencing.  

“As you are aware we are enduring a tough economic environment but we are trying hard to pay our workers on time,” he said.