Employees of Morewear Industries, a division of engineering group Gulliver Consolidated, have resorted to sleeping at work in protest over non-payment of wages since last year.
The Zimbabwe Stock Exchange-listed entity is also yet to publish its 2011 financial results.
The group operates several divisions involved in engineering gulvanising and steel fabrication including Morewear, Moresteel, Megasteel and Gulliver Logistics.
Morewear workers’ committee chairperson Lawrence Dimingo told NewsDay Business yesterday that employees had decided to go on strike following the failure by management to address their plight.
“The issue is over non-payment of wages since May last year,” Dimingo said.
He said despite customers paying 75% cash upfront for their respective orders, the company was failing to pay workers.
Domingo said employees were supposed to be paid weekly, but the management had been distributing payslips without releasing the money.
“Since last year, we have been receiving cash in bits and pieces and to date the company owes us five months’ wages and benefits,” he said. Gulliver group finance executive Esau Phiri said he was not in a position to comment as he was rushing to a meeting.
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“It’s not my mandate to make a comment and I am currently rushing for a meeting,” Phiri said.
On Monday, power was cut off over a $32 000 bill, further exacerbating the challenges facing the company.
Dimingo said while the company had potential to make money, management had failed to run the company properly.
“Yesterday (Monday) electricity was cut off and the work we do in the factory requires water and electricity.
“Currently we don’t have (water) supplies and have resorted to using borehole water which requires electricity for pumping,” he said.
Dimingo said the company was securing a number of tenders and projects, but some jobs were not being done in time due to shortage of raw materials.
According to a monthly production plan, Morewear has secured a number of jobs that it is supposed to work on, including orders from Ministry of Transport, Noczim, Redan and Botswana Railways.
