The acting chief executive officer for the council, Timothy Marango, approached the labour office last month and challenged the appointment of Nehemia Deure as the substantive council CEO.
Marango was one of the shortlisted candidates who attended the interviews and Deure was given the post ahead of him.
Marango submitted that Deure was under-qualified for the job. He said before the appointment that he had won the job and had accepted it. For that reason, he was the right person to lead the local authority.
The independent arbitrator, Noah Ariel Mutongoreni, said Marango should be reinstated as the CEO of the council while the local authority should try to recover all dues paid to Deure.
“There was unfair appointment of the chief executive officer,” reads the decision, which goes on to order that “Timothy Marango be declared the official chief executive officer of Chimanimani Rural District Council effective from April 1, 2011….That Mr Murango be paid a total of $48,921.06 being salary arrears and related benefits plus legal costs that respondent considers recovering all dues paid in respect of Mr Deure.”
The council was also ordered to pay Murango’s legal costs of $4,000.
Marango has been employed by the council as the senior administration officer since August 2005.
Following the death of the former CEO in June 2009, he was recalled from South Africa, where he was studying a Master’s degree in rural development, to act as the CEO. After the position of CEO was advertised, Marango emerged the winner.
However, upon being offered the job and accepting it, Deure was subsequently announced the new CEO on the basis that the Ministry of Local Government had disapproved of Marango’s appointment.
Marango was then demoted from being a senior administration officer to community development and social services officer, prompting him to approach the Labour Court, citing unfair labour practices.
Post published in: News