adminThe two local authorities’ management argued that the industrial action by their employees was illegal. They both descended heavily on their employees with Gweru City Council suspending 43 workers.
Shurugwi Town Council has also suspended the entire workers committee following the strike. Chronicle could not immediately establish the number of members of the committee.
Chronicle is in possession of the letters of suspension which show the 43 names of the suspended Gweru City Council employees.
The letters of suspension were signed by the respective directors of each affected employee’s department.
“You are hereby suspended from duty with immediate effect without pay and benefit in terms of Section 6(1) of the Labour Act (National Employment Code of Conduct) Regulations Statutory Instrument 15/06 (the National Code).
The grounds of your suspension are that you allegedly committed acts of misconduct or omission inconsistent with the fulfilment of the express or implied terms of conditions of your contract of employment . . .,” reads part of the suspension letters.
Some of the affected workers are from the engineering department and their letters of suspension were signed by the Director of Engineering Services, Engineer Jones Nanthambwe.
The chairperson of the Water and Allied Workers Union of Zimbabwe, Mr Sailas Mutendeudzwa, said the suspension of the 43 workers by Gweru council and others by Shurugwi was meant to threaten and intimidate the employees.
“I think politics, intimidation and worker rights suppression is especially at the Gweru City Council. The matter of striking workers was handled at the Labour Court and the employer and employees signed a certificate of settlement which demanded that there should be no intimidation on either party in solving the impasse between the employer and employees. Gweru City Council has flouted certificate’s demands by proceeding to suspend the employees,” he said.
Gweru mayor, Clr Tedious Chimombe, confirmed the suspension of the employees. He said the suspension was the result of misconduct on the part of the employees.
“When the employees engaged in the illegal strike, they stormed into a meeting that was being addressed by the deputy mayor (Clr Taurai Demo) and disrupted proceedings. They chose the wrong platform to push for their bonuses. The suspensions were thus prompted by their unbecoming behaviour on this occasion,” said Clr Chimombe.
Shurugwi Town Council chairman, Clr Bulle Madzitire, confirmed the suspension of the workers committee following the strike.
“We warned them and hinted that heads would roll following the workers’ illegal strike. We have suspended some of the employees and our investigations into the matter are still going on,” he said.
Online Reporter