The Sunday News
Vusumuzi Dube, Senior Municipal Reporter
BULAWAYO City Council (BCC) workers have demanded that the local authority awards them a Covid-19 risk allowance noting that it was not fair that only their health counterparts were receiving the allowance.
Council workers in the health services department have been getting the Covid-19 risk allowances from Treasury after they were identified as being part of the frontline workers in the country’s fight to contain the pandemic.
However, according to council confidential report, the rest of the council staffers have demanded that they also be awarded the risk allowance arguing that they were equally exposed to the pandemic.
“It is public knowledge that staff members in the health services department do receive Covid-19 risk allowances from the Government. This is a commendable gesture although somewhat selective with unintended industrial relations outcome.
“To address this anomaly, we as the Zimbabwe Urban Councils Workers Union, Bulawayo branch hereby appeal to our employer to consider paying its employees reporting for duty the same allowance. This is based on the fact that the employees are equally exposed to the pandemic in their various working capacities,” reads part of a letter sent to council by the workers.
In response the local authority however, noted that the local authority had not budgeted for the payment of the allowances hence since the pandemic was a national disaster, the request would be forwarded to the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development.
“Given the national stature of issues related with the management of the pandemic, it was suggested that the matter be referred to the Ministry for guidelines in light of the fact that council like everyone else in the corporate world had not budgeted to cover contingences to the scale and cost implications engendered by this pestilence.
“When the matter was noted by the managerial committee for scrutiny it was found prudent to refer the matter to higher echelons of central Government for guidance,” reads the report.
