EMPLOYEES of Anjin Diamond mining company at the Chiadzwa diamond fields in Marange, Manicaland province, have downed tools over unpaid salaries and poor working conditions.
Zimbabwe Diamond and Allied Minerals Workers Union (ZDAMWU) general-secretary Justice Chinhema confirmed the job action.
“Our members are protesting the blatant failure of Anjin Investments’ management to pay their salaries for the past four months,” he said.
“This neglect has resulted in tragic consequences; a fellow worker, in dire need of medical assistance, was denied the necessary financial support to access hospital care and subsequently lost his life.”
“We call upon authorities and relevant regulators to intervene swiftly to protect workers’ rights and ensure justice is served.”
Chinhema said managers were engaging in irregular procedures in the diamond sorting process.
“Workers fear that these practices may constitute theft or misappropriation of resources, which could explain the persistent delay and withholding of their hard-earned wages,” he said.
“Such misconduct not only undermines worker trust but threatens the integrity of our industry.” Anjin Investments public relations officer Special Matarirano, however, denied that workers had resorted to job action.
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“There was no strike, it’s only workers from mine and plant who sought an audience with management yesterday (Monday), but they did not go on strike. They are back at work now,” he said.
Matarirano said there were no reports of poor working conditions.
Anjin Mining Company is a joint venture between Matt Bronze Enterprises, owned by the Zimbabwe National Army and Chinese investor Anhui Foreign Economic Construction Company.
The company is a significant player in Zimbabwe’s diamond mining sector, with its operations largely centred on the Marange diamond fields.
Human rights lawyer Zororai Nkomo said violations in the mining sector were worsened by failure to adhere to the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights.
“Businesses, regardless of their size and ownership, have a moral and legal duty to implement the United Nations’ Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, which protect against human rights abuse by companies within Zimbabwe by taking appropriate measures to prevent, investigate, punish and redress such abuses through effective policies and legislation,” Nkomo said.
He said the government should compel every business, especially those in the extractive sector, to implement human rights due diligence (HRDD) to protect the rights of workers.
HRDD is an ongoing, proactive process that businesses undertake to identify, prevent, mitigate and account for how they address actual and potential adverse human rights impacts with which they are involved.
The UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights are a set of guidelines for States and companies to prevent, address and remedy human rights abuses committed in business operations.
They were proposed by UN special representative on business and human rights John Ruggie and endorsed by the UN Human Rights Council in June 2011.
