The Matobo Rural District Council (MRDC) has proposed significant salary increases and additional benefits for senior staff, including Grade 10 and Grade 11 employees, who currently earn a basic salary of US$2 500.
Grade 10 employees are Heads of Departments, while Grade 11 comprises the Chief Executive Officer (CEO).
The proposal, outlined in the Special Human Resources and Staff Development Committee minutes under the section, Proposed Remuneration for Grade 10 and 11, has sparked outrage among both ZANU-PF and Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) councillors.
The recommendations include setting responsibility allowances at 35% of the basic salary, to be paid monthly.
Additional benefits proposed include purchasing and disposing of cell phones and laptops every two years at book value, monthly fuel coupons of up to 1 00 litres for Grade 10 employees, and funeral assistance covering spouses and biological children.
The council also proposed educational support, covering 25% of fees for studies related to employees’ areas of work, as well as loan guarantees for purchasing personal vehicles and constructing residential stands.
Further recommendations include maintaining current benefits under the National Employment Council (NEC) framework and removing Grade 10 employees from NEC provisions, which currently apply to Grade 9 and below.
Ward 19 councillor, Nqobizitha Ngwenya confirmed that the MRDC is seeking an increase in salaries
“The highest fuel allocation for CEO being 300 liters per month,” he said.
Councilor Ngwenya added, “They don’t deserve it because their performance at service delivery is very poor, in revenue collection they managed 44 percent of the budgeted revenue, they are performing dismally.”
Other councillors revealed that the developments are still in the proposal stage and they sent it back to the Committees.
“We are yet to sit down and deliberate on it, at the moment we sent it back to the committees,” one councillor said.
