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NewsDay

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Court rules against striking ex-AirZim staff

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THE Labour Court has ordered more than 100 former Air Zimbabwe workers to stop demonstrating at the company’s premises.

THE Labour Court has ordered more than 100 former Air Zimbabwe workers to stop demonstrating at the company’s premises.

by XOLISANI NCUBE

In a ruling passed on Friday, labour court judges Euna Makamure and Godfrey Musariri, described the former workers’ industrial action as illegal.

“Wherefore declared that, the job action (demonstration and trespass since November 27, 2017) carried out by the respondents (National Air Workers’ Union and Air Transport Union) is declared unlawful and the said action shall be terminated forthwith,” read part of the ruling.

On January 15, 2018, Labour and Social Welfare minister, Petronella Kangonye challenged the industrial action by former Air Zimbabwe workers, which had forced the airline to cancel an international audit that was due.

The disgruntled ex-Air Zimbabwe workers forced the struggling airliner to cancel an International Air Transport Association operational safety audit, which was due to start, as they picketed at Robert Mugabe International Airport demanding their salaries for 2011 and 2012.

The government has pledged to assume the airline’s $300 million debt, which includes the wages owed to the workers, to enable it to start on a clean slate.

The airline is currently only servicing three regional routes to Zambia’s Lusaka, Johannesburg in South Africa and Tanzania’s Dar-es-Salaam, albeit with two aircraft.