Otji municipality racks up N$781k overtime in three months

The Otjiwarongo municipality spent N$781 132.55 on overtime payments between April and June, while 65 positions remained vacant.

The municipality’s overtime expenditure averaged about N$260 000 per month during the three-month period, a document reviewed by Namibian Sun shows.

The largest overtime bill during the three months was recorded by the water division at N$178 808.08, followed by contract workers at N$159 207.95 and sewerage at N$143 106.85.

Solid waste recorded N$107 454.18, while traffic accounted for N$46 005.14, roads N$39 851.39 and emergency N$27 771.76.

The document records 166 positions, of which 101 were filled, leaving 65 vacancies – a vacancy rate of 39.2%.

Technical Services, infrastructure, planning and engineering (TSIPE) had the highest vacancy rate among the major departments, with 38 vacancies out of an establishment of 88 positions, or 43.1%.

Community development services had 10 vacancies from an establishment of 25 positions, while human capital and corporate services had 10 vacancies from 26 positions. Finance, IT and asset management had seven vacancies from 25 positions.

The document identifies 35 of the 65 vacant posts as falling under TSIPE’s operational and skilled-technical capacity category.

The document shows that a budgeted shortlist of 21 positions currently exists, covering about one-third of the municipality’s vacancies.

Pressure on staff, union negotiations

The document links the overtime expenditure to the municipality’s staffing situation, stating that, apart from traffic and contract workers, the highest-overtime divisions are within TSIPE, which also carries the largest share of the vacancy backlog.

The municipality also has 11 positions currently being filled in an acting capacity, seven of them in technical services.

The positions include two debtors’ accountant posts, parks and garden foreman, team leader: roads, truck driver: solid waste, manager: technical services, sewer artisan assistant, project manager, manager: community development, HR recruitment and workshop foreman.

The staffing figures come as the municipality considers a proposed 7.3% salary increase tabled by the Namibia Public Workers’ Union (Napwu).

According to the document, the union requested the 7.3% increase during the first salary negotiation meeting with management.

The document noted that the municipality has made provision for a 5% salary increase in its approved or submitted budget.

Management told the union that increasing the provision to 7.3% would require an adjustment to the budget and approval from the line ministry.

Management is recommending that the proposed 7.3% increase not be approved, citing the municipality’s personnel costs, which are already above the 40% threshold of the operational budget.

The recommendation states that management should continue negotiations with Napwu within the municipality’s existing budget provision and financial capacity.

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