Submitted 2009 UMUZIWABANTU LOCAL MUNCIPALITY DRAFT TELEPHONE & CELLPHONE POLICY BY: CORPORATE SERVICES DEPARTMENT Physical address: Murchison Street, Harding, 4680 Postal address: P/Bag X 1023, Harding, 4680
TELEPHONE AND CELLPHONE POLICY 1 Policy statement The UMuziwabantu Municipality s guiding principle in providing its employees with access to telephones and cell phones and that this facility is to be used for business purposes. Umuziwabantu Municipality reserves the right to grant, restrict or withdraw, at its discretion and with regard to any employee, the aforementioned privilege in respect of the facilities as and when necessary in order to accommodate business requirements. Abuse of the telephone or cell phone facility is a transgression that will be subject to the Umuziwabantu Municipality s disciplinary code. 2 Usage of telephones 2.1 Telephone use management by users Each employee is issued with a user-code for all telephone calls. Employees/users must not disclose their user code to anyone in order to avoid unauthorized use of their telephone lines. If an employee/user suspects that an unauthorized person is using their line without their permission they must report this immediately to the Manager of Registry and Auxiliary Services or his/her designate. 2.2 Telephone statements The Registry will receive statements and forward telephone statements to Manager: expenditure. It is the duty of expenditure manager and community services & admin manager to ensure that telephone printouts /statements are circulated amongst staff members in order to advise them of their telephone calls. However, it remains the responsibility of a staff member to ensure receipt of the monthly statement and check his or her private telephone calls and signing the said statement. It is imperative that, for control purposes, Management ensures that staff identify their private calls by clearly marking them and signing the statements, and that the statements are returned to the Registry. Staff members must forward details of any discrepancies found in the lists directly to the manager: community services & admin for comment and possible action. 2.3 Payment procedure The cost of all private telephone calls made will be automatically deducted monthly from the staff member s salary. The deduction in respect of a particular month will be made from the next salary payment. The cost of telephone calls made in the month of resignation must be deducted from the last month s salary. In order to meet all salary-related deadlines, discrepancies that result in a refund or an additional deduction will be dealt with only on the salary date after the date in which the original deduction was made. Pages 2 of 7
2.4 Devices on extensions No devices are to be connected to telephone extensions, for example, facsimile machines, modulator and demodulator (modems) and other communications or similar devices. If such devices have to be connected, a motivation will have to be made to the Manager: Corporate Services. 2.5 Non-compliance It is the responsibility of a staff member to ensure that his/her private telephones are properly indicated on the telephone statement and ensuring that the necessary deduction in terms of this policy has been made from his/her salary. Random checks will be carried out throughout the year to ensure adherence to this policy. A staff member, will be held liable for non-payment and for non-compliance with this policy, which could lead to disciplinary action in terms of Umuziwabantu s Labour Relations Policies. 3. Use of cellular phones 3.1 General principles Use of municipal-provided cell phones is a privilege that is granted in connection with an individual's duties to the Municipality and are to be used for the conduct of Municipal business and/or in furtherance of the service delivery mission of the Umuziwabantu Municipality. The use of municipal cell phones for occasional personal calls is allowed with the understanding that their primary use be for work purposes. The cell phone package selected is chosen based on seniority. Should personal calls require going beyond the package limit selected, the cost of those calls will be automatically deducted from the staff member s salary. 3.2 Eligibility The following levels of staff qualify for a municipal cell phone: LEVEL/ CALL TIME PACKAGE DESIGNATION Municipal Manager 500 minutes/per month/contract Heads of Departments 500 minutes/per month/contract Level 3 240 minutes/per month/contract ALLOCATED AMOUNTS R 1500.00 R 900.00 R 500.00 Staff members below Post Level 3 must have an official municipal business need for a cell phone, and the Manager: Corporate Services must make a motivation to the Management for a cell phone allowance or a cell phone to be issued to such staff members. Pages 3 of 7
3.3 Payment procedure The cost of calls exceeding the package limit selected will be automatically deducted monthly from the staff member s salary. The deduction in respect of a particular month will be made from the next salary payment. Only in special circumstances that staff members who have exceeded their cell phone package limits will make motivations through their respective HOD s for the excess amount not to be deducted. Such motivations will have to be approved by Managers: Corporate Services. 3.4 Acting positions Should a staff member be temporarily appointed in an acting/ secondment capacity on a higher level post than his/her current substantive post, such staff member will not automatically be entitled to the cell phone privileges assigned to the higher-level position. Any application that such employee should qualify for a cell phone allowance during the acting/ secondment period, must be approved by the Manager: Corporate Services. The allowance must be terminated at the end of the acting/ secondment appointment. 3.5 Voice Mail Staff members issued with a municipal cell phone should ensure that the voice mail greeting of the said phone is active at all times. This is to ensure that voice mail messages could be left on the phone in the event that the person is unreachable. The staff member has an obligation to respond, in a timely manner, to any business voice mail messages left on the phone, including SMS messages. 3.6 Termination of employment Upon receipt of a cell phone, an employee will be requested to sign a Memorandum of Agreement covering the deduction of any outstanding cell phone bills, viz exceeding the package limit selected, from the employee s last month salary. The Memorandum of Agreement will also permit the municipality to deduct from the last month salary the cost of any equipment not returned to the Municipality. Upon termination of employment with the Municipality, services for cellular phones are terminated and any Municipal owned or provided devices must be returned to the Municipality. 3.7 Lost or Stolen Cell phone and Repairs In the event of a cell phone being lost or stolen, the end user must notifying the Manager: Corporate Services with immediate effect for temporary suspension of the service and guidance in the filing of a Lost or Stolen Property Report. Whenever an employee needs to have his/her phone repaired or serviced for any reason, they must liaise with the Manager: Community Services. 3.8 Safety and functionality Using a cell phone while driving is strongly discouraged. Employees should bear in mind that cell phone calls can be intercepted and should take proper precautions when discussing confidential information. Pages 4 of 7
Users should take time to become familiar with the various cell phone functions. 3.9 Personal cell phones An employee who is not assigned a municipal cell phone and uses his or her personal cell phone for business calls may seek reimbursement. The employee should annotate all business calls and submit this along with a reimbursement form that has been approved by their HOD s or his or her designate. If an employee must use their personal cell phone on a regular basis for business, the Line Manager should consider motivating that the employee be issued a municipal cell phone. 3.10 Management of allocated cell phones A register for all cell phones issued by the municipality must be maintained. New employees joining the municipality, and who qualify for a municipal cell phone will be issued with the same cell phone that was utilized by their predecessors, and will be eligible for a new handset upon upgrading/ renewal of the contract. All cellular telephone orders, purchases, upgrades and other cellular phone transactions must be done through the Manager: Community Services & Admin. 3.11 Application of policy With effect from the first day of the month subsequent to the approval of this Policy by Umuziwabantu Council, all staff members must reimburse the Municipality for the cost of any private telephone calls made using Umuziwabantu Municipal telephones and cell phones and will be required to sign the attached Memorandum of Agreement. Cognisance must be taken of the fact that the availability of the telephone or cell phone facility for private use constitutes a privilege and not a right. Definitions Private telephone calls - Telephone calls made using any telephone, cell phone or facsimile machine for Umuziwabantu s account where such calls are not directly linked to the performance its business. Change control Any change to this policy will be subject to policy reviews and or Council resolution. Commencement of policy Private calls made after approval of this policy will be dealt with in accordance with the clauses as set out in this policy. Policy violation Staff members who do not adhere to this policy will be subject to disciplinary action. Pages 5 of 7
MEMORANDUM OF AGREEMENT (MOA) Between UMUZIWABANTU LOCAL MUNICIPALITY And _ For CELLULAR TELEPHONE CONTRACTS AND USAGE 1. PURPOSE 1.1 The main purpose of this agreement is to regulate the use cellular telephone instruments by the undersigned of this agreement. 1.2 This agreement is intended to provide details of users of cellular telephones, sim cards and cellular telephone numbers and to regulate the payment of private telephone accounts. 2. SCOPE OF AGREEMENT This agreement covers only cellular telephone equipment provided by UMUZIWABANTU. Where the monthly cellular telephone allowance is exceeded (contract plus calls), the difference will be met by the staff member, and the amount will be deducted from the staff member s salary. Upon termination of services with the municipality, outstanding cell phone bills will be deducted from the staff member s last month salary. 3. PROCESSES AND PROCEDURES RELATED TO THIS AGREEMENT Telephone and Cell Phone Policy 4. GENERAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS This agreement takes effect upon the date that the staff member receives a cellular telephone and ends on the last day of employment at UMUZIWABANTU LOCAL MUNICIPALITY. This agreement is between UMUZIWABANTU LOCAL MUNICIPALITY and staff member as named on the cover of this document. This done and signed at on this day of 2009. WITNESS SIGNATURE OF STAFF MANAGER: CORPORATE SERVICES Pages 6 of 7
Name of Employee (printed in full) Designation: Employee no.: Cellular Telephone number: Sim card number: Telephone serial number: Cell phone charger serial number: Pages 7 of 7