Services at the  Mutale Local Municipality came to a halt on Monday this week, when nearly 150 employees of the municipality has embarked on an illegal strike, demanding a  salary increase.

Services such as the cleaning of the town, waste removal, paying for services and testing drivers’ licences have been affected due to the strike. “We are worried that the mayor and her executive council have approved for them an upper limit increase and forget employees who are working hard. Some of employees in the municipality who were employed in October last year are not getting the right salaries relating to their jobs,” said the chairperson of the South African Municipal Workers Union in Mutale, Ms Livhuwani Ravhuanzwo.

According to Ravhuanzwo, employees in Mutale Municipality were supposed to get a salary through the Performance Management Financial System (PMFS) in December last year, but nothing happened. “To make things worse, employees such as housing officers, cashiers and administration officers are paid like general workers. We want to deliver better services to our communities as municipal workers, but we cannot work if we are underpaid,” added Ravhuanzwo.

Another employee, Mr Tsumbedzo Sumbana, the secretary of Mutale Municipal Workers Union, said employees felt that the mayor and her exco are not considering their demands seriously.

“We will not stop striking until our demands are met with the municipality. We will pass a motion of no confidence in the mayor and her exco if our salaries are not adjusted,” said Mr Sumbana.