adminMoleen Machingura Harare Bureau
Two former journalists with Radio Voice of the People are suing the pirate broadcaster for a combined $46,000 for unfair dismissal.
Documents lodged at the Labour Court show that axed Radio VoP online editor Maria Matarutse is demanding $23,600 while website editor Millie Phiri is suing for $22,304 in salaries and unpaid leave days.
In their application to the Labour Court, the South Africa-based journalists, who were employed on three-month contract basis, alleged unfair dismissal.
It is alleged that Radio VoP which survives on western donor funding, would continually renew their short contracts.
The complainants allege that at some point the respondent did not re-engage them and instead replaced them while retaining journalists with similar or inferior qualifications to those they had.
Matarutse and Phiri said they felt discriminated against, lost income and suffered damages.
“The sole reason for the non-engagement of the complainants was that the respondent victimised them for claiming their unpaid leave days upon the expiry of the short-term employment contracts,” they argue.
“A reasonable amount of damages in this regard is an amount equivalent to three months’ salary for each of the complainants.”
The scribes earned a monthly net income of $3,200 and were paid leave days at a rate of $144 a day.
Harare lawyer, Tendai Toto, is representing the duo.
derick.khumalo