DELTA Beverages workers yesterday told Parliament that their employer has not yet complied with the indigenisation regulations which compel companies to cede 10% shares to employees.
SENIOR PARLIAMENTARY REPORTER
Delta Workers’ Union chairman John Shumba told the Parliamentary Thematic Committee on Indigenisation that the company’s top managers received hefty retirement packages while shopfloor workers got paltry payouts.
“In 2008 during the economic hardships the company had to find a way to retain workers by giving them 5 000 shares in September 2008, which were going to mature in September 2013, but these shares were diverted to become indigenisation shares,” Shumba said.
“The company is yet to submit its indigenisation proposal to government and as workers we have not yet seen the proposal because the company secretary Alex Makamure has kept it a secret.”
Shumba added that workers were not privy to many decisions made on their behalf as members of management were the ones represented in the Employee Trust Fund which was formed in 2001.
He said when Old Mutual released money from the pension fund demutualisation in 2008, employees who benefitted were given Z$21 000 each.
“More than 2 450 workers benefited through demutualisation and were given Z$21 000, but now we demand that the workers who did not benefit should be given their money in United States dollars. We also demand that Delta should cede the 10% indigenisation shares that are supposed to be for workers,” he said.
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Workers’ union secretary Crispen Chandata said some retired managers were offered to run Delta depots in Chivhu, Sanyati, Nyanga, Murehwa and Mandel Training Centre in Harare.
“Retired managers got trucks and depots, while junior employees got paltry pensions of $3 000,” Chandata said.
The workers’ union later told journalists after the Parliament meeting that they were mulling a strike over wages because their employer was reluctant to increase their salaries although the company was raking in huge profits.
They said they wanted poverty datum line wages of $540 for the least paid employees who were receiving $272 per month.
