THE Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) has intensified its operation codenamed Bhadalani/Bhadharai (pay up) in Bulawayo aimed at pressurising companies to pay their employees and improve working conditions.
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ZCTU Western Region initially launched the operation in 2010 targeting employers that had accumulated salary arrears and were failing to implement occupational health and safety measures at the workplace.
ZCTU Western Region chairperson Reason Ngwenya said the labour body was irked by the continued shutdown of industries in Bulawayo.
“The situation is continuing to worsen. Companies are closing down and those still operating keep their employees for too long without pay,” Ngwenya said.
“We are intensifying our operation Bhadalani/Bhadharai and are winning with some companies while others tell us that they have no money due to the economic downturn.”
Ngwenya said ZCTU wants workers to be paid in accordance with the Labour Act which stipulates that employees have to be remunerated for the work they would have done.
“Due to continued closure of companies, the labour movement has continued to lose strategic and active membership. Like other institutions, ZCTU is struggling to get subscriptions due to the dwindling workforce in the industries. We are therefore engaged in a programme to educate our remaining members about labour rights and the need to be affiliated to the labour body,” he said.
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Ngwenya challenged authorities to revive the economy saying the majority of Zimbabweans had now resorted to the informal sector.
He said ZCTU had established that many employees in Bulawayo’s industrial sector had gone for over five months without pay, while others were receiving part of their salaries.
At the start of the operation, ZCTU pounced on close to 20 companies pushing them to pay workers, but yesterday Ngwenya said he would have to check to see how many companies had been approached so far.
He said some of the companies were under judicial management and only those appointed as managers were benefiting.
Our sister paper The Zimbabwe Independent last week reported that more than 600 workers had officially been retrenched since the beginning of August as the country’s rate of unemployment continues to grow at an alarming rate.
Retrenchment Board sources reportedly said the board approved the retrenchment of 623 workers since August to date with at least 15 companies having applied to close shop during the same period, but these had been put on hold for various reasons.
