BY NIZBERT MOYO
OVER 100 former Zimplow Holdings workers yesterday picketed at the company premises protesting unpaid retrenchment packages, while accusing their former employer of not following due processes in giving them their dues when they were fired in 2015.
The former workers waved placards and chanted slogans demanding their dues.
Chairperson of the retrenchees, Paul Ngwenya told Southern Eye yesterday that 108 former workers were affected.
He said the former workers wanted to be paid other dues and were demanding one month salary per year served like what was paid to their fellow retrenchees.
“There are 108 of us and today (yesterday), we have decided to come and stage a demonstration with our families after efforts to engage management did not bear fruit. Each time we try to engage them, they call the police as if we are now animals yet we helped the company to expand across borders,” Ngwenya said.
“I worked for this company for 35 years as a supervisor, but I was served with a retrenchment letter while I was on leave and we were not given time to negotiate the package they were offering.
“They gave us two weeks’ salary per year served, whereas our fellow workers, like the company’s security guards, were given a month’s salary per year served yet we were retrenched the same year,” he added.
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Ngwenya said they took their case to the Labour Court through their lawyers and were surprised to hear that they had lost their case with costs.
“We suspect that there was an element of bribery that took place between our lawyers and the company because our case was withdrawn from the court without our consent,’’ he said. On average, each former worker claims to be owed US$300.
Lawyer Nkosilathi Mlala of Sansole Law denied ever representing them.
Zimplow Holdings managing director Walter Chigwada denied any wrongdoing by the company, insisting that everything was done according to the law.
“We have documents which were signed by the former workers and we complied with the Labour Court orders,’’ Chigwada said.
