adminLovemore Kadzura in Rusape
THE nation’s sole phosphate and magnetite miner, Dorowa Minerals, owes its 151-strong workforce over $500 000 in salary arrears emanating from seven months of non-payment of workers.
This emerged during a conciliatory hearing between the miner and the Associated Mineworkers’ Union of Zimbabwe (AMUZ) which was held before labour officer, Mr Fortune Gotora, at the Makoni Government Complex in Rusape on Tuesday.
Dorowa Minerals was represented by its parent company, Chemplex Corporation’s human resources director, Mr Simbisani Makheba, and Dorowa Minerals industrial relations officer Mr Francis Gwembe and the workers were represented by Amuz secretary-general Mr Richard Jumbe.
The hearing, which lasted for one and half hours, did not yield anything as Dorowa Minerals did not commit to a payment plan and this left Mr Gotora with no option but to refer the matter to a labour arbitrator on a date to be advised.
Dorowa Minerals argued that it is operating under a difficult economic environment and said its parent shareholder, the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC), is under the illegal European and United States economic sanctions which have affected its export business.
The Manica Post was barred by Mr Gotora from covering the proceedings saying labour issues are only for two parties and the media was not welcome.
Speaking to The Manica Post after the hearing, Mr Jumbe said Dorowa Minerals was not being sincere to the plight of its workers who are struggling to survive since the company never paid their salaries this year.
He also said production was in full swing and workers were reporting for duty on a daily basis, but no rewards were coming. He further alleged that senior executives were pampering themselves with huge salaries and expensive cars yet workers were wallowing in abject poverty.
“Workers at Dorowa Minerals are yet to receive their salaries for 2014 and are suffering a lot. We have been patient for long. We were expecting management to come up with a payment plan, but even today before a labour officer they could not commit to a payment plan.
“Workers are reporting for duty every day and production is in full swing, yet the company is giving one excuse after another. Workers are now struggling to make ends meet. Their children are also affected as parents are failing to raise school fees.
“While the workers are swimming in poverty, management is enjoying hefty salaries and state-of-the-art cars. Dorowa Minerals is a strategic national business which is the nucleus of the agricultural sector so we are also calling on the Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Agriculture to investigate the goings-on at the mine. We are approaching the agricultural season and if workers’ welfare is not addressed, there will be an artificial shortage of fertiliser,” said Mr Jumbe.
Efforts to get comment from the company’s management representatives at the Rusape labour offices were fruitless at the time of going to press as they drove off before this reporter could interview them.
Online Reporter