By Flata Kavinga
Zibagwe Rural District Council (ZRDC) Chief Executive Officer Farayi Desimond Machaya has called for salary negotiations for council management following a significant increase in wages for National Employment Council (NEC) employees in 2025.
Addressing councillors during a full council meeting, Machaya said the implementation of the collective bargaining agreement for NEC employees saw salaries rise from 15 percent to 42 percent, while management conditions of service remained unchanged.
“Following the implementation of the collective bargaining agreement (CBA SI 87 of 2017) for 2025 that saw a review of salaries for NEC employees from 15 percent to 42 percent, management conditions remained the same,” Machaya said. “In the spirit of harmony, salary negotiations for management ought to happen and parties should mutually agree on an increment that is decent and sustainable.”
He stressed that the welfare of management was critical to the effective running of the local authority, noting that management staff safeguard the interests of the organisation and stakeholders on a daily basis.
In his address, Machaya also gave an overview of the council’s human resources and administrative status, saying ZRDC maintained favourable staffing levels during the period under review, with a total workforce of 42 employees, comprising 14 females and 28 males.
He said the council recruited two key staff members in the last quarter of 2025, appointing Polite Murindi as cashier and revenue collector at the Zhombe sub-office, and Chipangura as Chief Fire Officer. Machaya added that there was need for strategic planning to fill critical posts such as surveyor, GIS specialist and clerical positions, in line with ministerial directives and the planning moratorium.
On organisational development, the CEO said council remained committed to improving efficiency and responsiveness through effective human capital management and continuous staff training. While several capacity-building programmes were implemented in 2025, he noted that more investment in staff development would be required in 2026 to enhance service delivery.
Machaya reported that industrial relations at council remained stable during the period under review.
