Mayor swoops on OT racketeers

Finds them away while on ‘duty’

By Nalaka Nonis

Colombo Mayor Mohamed Imthiyaz has initiated a crackdown on malpractices at the Colombo Municipal Council (CMC) including those with regard to overtime claims.

He told The Sunday Times yesterday that in a surprise visit to Town Hall last week, he found some 190 workers, who had signed their attendance books, absent but claiming overtime. He had ordered their overtime payments for the day be cut.

“During a surprise visit around 8.30 pm on September 21, I observed that about 190 workers who were to do overtime work on that day were not actually working although they had signed in to do so,” the Mayor said.

He said there were some CMC workers who received their monthly salaries without attending work on the number of days allocated to them.

About 9,000 people are employed in the CMC which pays about Rs. 170 to 180 million as monthly salaries to its employees.

He said he advised the CMC workers not to fudge overtime claims, while also promising them to look into their difficulties.

In a bid to prevent workers from falsely claiming overtime payments, and receiving salaries without attending work, the CMC has planned to introduce electronic time machines at its work places, Mr. Imthiyaz said.

Some CMC workers who were provoked after the Mayor slashed their overtime payments launched a protest campaign shortly afterwards.

The council’s opposition leader, Vasudeva Nanayakkara, also said there were some workers in the CMC who get their salaries without attending to work properly. He charged that this malpractice was done by workers in connivance with some officials and at the end of the month they share the money.

Mr. Nanayakkara added he as the chairperson of the committee to prevent waste at the CMC had initiated action against such erroneous workers.