WHILE the case of non-payment of three Bulawayo TM Supermarket managers is still pending at the courts after the chain refused to pay them for not working on Unity Day in 2009, management is reportedly conducting a witch hunt on workers at all branches who failed to pitch for work on December 22 2014.
STAFF REPORTER
This is believed to be an effort to victimise them.
In 2009 on December 22 three TM line managers Itayi Nkomo, Thembinkosi Nyathi and Nicholas Khumbula Tshili refused to work on Unity Day because the company had refused to pay them bonuses.
While that case is still pending at the courts, TM Supermarket management reportedly ordered workers at all its branches to work on December 22 2014, a public holiday, despite indicating they would be no bonuses for them.
Before the day, rumours swirled that a number of workers planned to boycott working on Unity Day. This prompted the management to write a letter to all branch managers, advising them to engage contract workers and those who were on standby.
A letter seen by Southern Eye dated December 20 2014 written by TM Supermarket’s human resources general manager Josiah Chigwedere sent to all branch managers reads: “We have received unconfirmed reports that workers in one or two branches are planning not to come to work on December 22 2014.
“These are threats that may not be carried out, but let us be on the lookout in our branches.”
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Chigwedere encouraged managers to compile a list of those that failed to come to work.
“Such list is important in maintaining a proper register of absentees for the purpose of overtime payment etc,” he wrote.
“This list must be forwarded to human resources.
“This same approach is to be applied for December 25 and 26, 2015 and January 1 2015.”
However, workers at TM said this was the strategy which was used in 2009 leading to the victimisation of the three managers.
Responding to Chigwedere’s letter, national TM workers committee secretary Kudzai Chatikobo, in a letter dated January 3 2015 addressed to Chigwedere, said they were worried about the compilation of a list of absentees.
“We had come across your memo dated, which was instructing branch managers to look out for several issues during public holidays,” he wrote.
“Our main worry is on item number three, which instructed branch managers to compile a list of those that fail to come to work on public holidays and submit it to human resources.
“Therefore, as employees we are sensing a form of victimisation to prevail again; it happened in December 22 2009 when Peter Zwide Kalanga Khumalo requested for a list of section managers who did not come to work on December 22, who then faced victimisation in form of unfair transfers, which were later contested in Labour Court.”
Chatikobo said they were ready to take legal action at the slightest hint of victimisation. Reports say a number of workers refused to work on December 22 and this triggered fears of victimisation.
Some workers who spoke to Southern Eye said they refused to work on December 22 because the company said it could not afford to pay bonuses.
The workers said it was unfair that the company sponsored the $130 000 TM and Pick n Pay Big Brands Bonanza promotion football match between Dynamos and Highlanders, yet it was failing to pay bonuses.
Efforts to get comment from Chigwedere were not fruitful yesterday.
