An arbitrator is today expected to preside over the labour dispute involving prominent businessman-cum-politician Phillip Chiyangwa and 55 former farm labourers following an impasse between the two parties.
Report by Own Correspondent Workers’ committee representative Davison Phiri yesterday said: “Tomorrow (today) is D-Day and we hope that justice would be administered and that we would get a fair hearing and bring finality to the case and end the suffering of many families whose children are not attending school because of the non-payment of their parents’ salaries.”
The parties to the labour dispute briefly met with the arbitrator Peter Chinguruve on September 12 where it was agreed that the matter would be set for arbitration today.
The matter was supposed to have been heard by the arbitrator on June 15, but was postponed on numerous occasions for unknown reasons, prompting the General Agriculture and Plantation Workers’ Union of Zimbabwe to pressure the arbitrator to give a date for the hearing.
The workers claimed Chiyangwa owed them at least $800 each. The farm labourers and their families were ejected from Chiyangwa’s Old Citrus Farm on February 9 after the courts granted the businessman an eviction order.
Since then, the evicted families have been staying in tents provided by a humanitarian organisation at a “squatter camp” where there were no toilets and no running water. Most of them said they had nowhere to go.
Chiyangwa is being represented in the matter by his farm manager Justin Nyamasve, who could, however, not be reached for comment yesterday.
The protracted stand-off between Chiyangwa and the labourers dates back to 2009 when the business tycoon gave the 55 former workers notice to vacate, although this was met with stiff resistance with the workers arguing he owed them severance packages.
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Chiyangwa, who took over the estate from renowned white commercial farmer Philip Nicholle, has remained adamant, arguing he did not owe the workers any outstanding salaries. He said the workers were “squatters” illegally occupying houses at his farm compound.
