More than 40 fired TN Harlequin workers in Bulawayo yesterday demanded a thorough inventory of stock at the firm’s factory, which they want sold in order to pay outstanding salaries.
BY NQOBILE BHEBHE
They had their contracts of employment abruptly terminated at the weekend.
Workers told Southern Eye yesterday they were owed an average of $5 000 each. The workers said prior to dismissal, they were only given monthly pay slips, but no pay.
They claimed the quantity of stock at the Bulawayo factory could be enough to pay off all outstanding salaries.
The workers have since engaged the Zimbabwe Furniture, Timber and Allied Workers’ Union to fight for their cause.
“As workers, we are demanding TN Harlequin management to take full account of all stock at the factory.
“Once that is done, they should sell off the property and pay off our outstanding salaries dating back two years,” said a worker who requested anonymity. “We have been reporting to work each month and with no pay. We were given pay-slips.
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“Now that we have been fired we fear we won’t get our salaries as termination letters were silent on that,” he added.
The company cited last week’s Supreme Court judgment, which gave employers the nod to dismiss workers after giving them three months’ notice, but without benefits.
TN Harlequin told the workers to stop reporting for work on the day they received the letters.
“Your notice shall take effect on the date of delivery of this notice to you or the address given in your contract of employment or to such other address that you notified our human resources department in writing,” reads part of the letter.
“We do not expect you to continue coming to work during this notice period.
“Your monthly salary for the three months’ notice shall be processed by the human resources department whom you should contact at the end of each of your three months’ notice period for the collection of your pay in lieu of notice.”
Workers claimed that on Wednesday evening furniture was clandestinely moved from the Donnington industrial factory to an undisclosed location.
“We fear that the furniture was taken to Harare. Three truck loads were spotted on Wednesday evening being moved from the factory,” another worker said.
Zimbabwe Furniture, Timbers and Allied Workers’ Union representative, Percy Mcijo, accused the courts of betraying workers. “The Supreme Court ruling is one of the most shocking judgments in recent history.
“It betrayed the workers and we strongly feel the judges misinterpreted the law,” Mcijo said.
“It was a death knell on workers. However, we urge all affected workers to unite and fight the system.”
Chief Justice Godfrey Chidyausiku and four other judges, sitting as a Supreme Court panel last week, unanimously agreed that the common law position placing employees and employers on an equal footing was still operational.
The Supreme Court made the ruling in a case between Zuva Petroleum and two former employees.
TN has been a dominant player in the country’s furniture industry and at some point had nearly 1 000 employees countrywide.
The firm was established by Tawanda Nyambirai, a former chairman of Econet Wireless. Nyambirai could not be reached for comment.
