Bakers Inn has been ordered by a National Employment Council (NEC) to reinstate 62 workers retrenched this month, as the process was deemed unlawful.
BY TARISAI MANDIZHA
In an interview with NewsDay, United Food and Allied Workers Union legal officer, Edgar Rusere said Baker’s Inn retrenched 62 workers and part of the agreement was that they would be re-employed by the company through Staffing Solution, a sub-contractor. But he alleged that the retrenched employees were going to earn less than they were before the retrenchment exercise.
Rusere alleged that managers were forming companies, which were being used as agents and paid less, with unfavourable working conditions, removing employees from permanent positions and placing them on one-month contracts.
He said the battle started when Baker’s Inn commenced performance examinations and when the workers refused to take the tests, their contracts were terminated.
“We went to NEC and it was ruled that the retrenchment process was flawed and Innscor Africa Limited should reinstate the workers with immediate effect,” Rusere said.
According to the NEC ruling, the company had not followed the law although it was allowed to retrench, if it followed proper procedures.
“Wherefore, after carefully analysing the facts and the law, I make the following ruling: The retrenchment process is flawed. The respondent must comply with section 12c of the Labour Act chapter 28:01 if it intends to retrench and ensure that procedures are followed, in the meantime, the claimants must report for duty at their respective workplaces until the retrenchment process, if the respondent so wishes to continue, is complete after complying with the provisions of the law,” read the statement in part.
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Baker’s Inn chief executive officer, Ngoni Mazango said the company had not retrenched, claiming the workers were panicking over nothing.
“The employees are just rushing; it’s incorrect [to say we have retrenched]. None of our employees have been retrenched. I don’t know where they are getting this from, but we have not retrenched any of our employees. All the employees are still on our payroll, as far as I am concerned,” he said.
Mazango dismissed allegations that Bakers Inn would employ the retrenched workers through its agent, Staffing Solution, saying there was no such agreement.
