adminNews that the workers’ children are being turned away from school because of outstanding fees and that most terminally ill workers are succumbing to the ailments as they are reportedly taking medication without eating adequate food is quite disturbing. Government and Essar are toying around with people’s lives. We say enough of this toying around with people’s lives!
What we also find disturbing are the utterances made by Industry and Commerce Minister, Professor Welshman Ncube that Essar is under no obligation to pay Zisco workers. The Honourable Minister appears to have assumed the position of public relations executive for Essar Holdings. When Essar made a commitment to pay the workers their salaries, including what is outstanding, it did so voluntarily.
There was no arm-twisting or gun-pointing involved for the Indian steel conglomerate to pay Zisco workers. They did so willingly. Everyone involved applauded the new investor then for reading the situation well — that to kick start high production, there was need to retain the experienced staff. There is no better way of retaining staff than demonstrating as a employer that you are sensitive to the plight of the very workers you want to retain.
The workers should have been taken aback by Minister Ncube’s utterance that Essar is not under any obligation to pay Zisco workers. The minister is of the opinion that the workers remain under Ziscosteel until the Government/Essar deal is concluded and that Essar can only start paying workers once it fully takes over the running of the giant steel company.
In our view, Essar has a moral obligation to pay the Zisco workers. We have said it before that the Inclusive Government should act now and conclude this Essar deal without further delays. We are fed up with rhetoric.
Prof Ncube, you cannot afford to exclude yourself in the Zisco/Essar equation. As the minister responsible, you are expected to drive the Zisco revival. If the suffering of the workers and their children cannot drive you to act, what will?
Zisco workers are tired of your stories. First it was the Mines and Mining Development Ministry and Essar fighting over the ownership structure of the vast iron ore mineral resources in the country, then came Essar’s freezing of salaries in April last year to push for the speedy conclusion of the iron ore deal. For how long, Honourable Minister, should the Zisco workers wait for the promised land, Canaan?
We cannot agree more with the chairperson of the parliamentary portfolio committee on Industry and Commerce, Cde William Mutomba, who appealed to both Essar and Government to consider the plight of workers.
“This bickering is costing workers while at the same time Government is losing revenue because we are importing steel when we should be exporting. Workers are the most affected by this delay. They are the ones who are suffering,” he said. Cde Mutomba said the NewZim Steel deal was separate from the NewZim Minerals one adding that problems at the latter were not supposed to affect the former.
Essar should, thus, be on the ground to ensure that operations kick-off fast. After all, Cabinet has already given its commitment to honour the original deal on minerals, so there is nothing to stop Essar.
We sincerely hope there is no one trying to score political points using the Zisco project because that would be detrimental to the economy of Redcliff, Kwekwe, the Midlands and country at large. It is often said the last mile is usually the longest. We, therefore, urge all stakeholders to stay focused lest we lose focus. Let’s put the interests of the people first.
Bongani Ndlovu
Online Reporter