adminTendai Gukutikwa
A TOTAL of 22 Meikles Department Store Mutare employees recently held their management hostage after being served with retrenchment letters.
The drama happened at the company’s Mutare city shop when agitated employees held the three Meikles representatives that had been despatched from their head office in Harare hostage demanding to know how the company would pay them their pensions.
The employees led by their workers’ committee chairman, Mr Edwin Marimbire, argued that they could not leave without a clear explanation of their actual exit package as they had served the company for a long time.
Mr Marimbire said they wanted the company’s representatives to give them detailed explanations about their packages, but they misunderstood their actions as holding them hostage.
“We did not take them as hostages as they reported to the police, but we only wanted to be clear on issues that were not addressed on the termination of contract letters.
“It was simply a question and answer session and we needed answers from them. Since they refused to give us their full names, we refused to accept the letters as authentic so we rejected them.
“As employees we demanded to be addressed by the owner of Meikles Stores concerning our pensions and the money they owe us in the form of a 10 percent salary increment which we were supposed to get from 2012.
“We were surprised to see security guards escorting us out without being given a chance to air our grievances. That is unheard of especially when we are talking of a company like Meikles that is a player in the hospitality industry. Most of us worked for this company for 30 years and we cannot be treated in this way,” said Mr Marimbire.
He said the three company representatives only identified themselves as Keegan, Daniel and Dennis and went away after employees refused to accept their letters of termination, but came back an hour letter in the company of policemen claiming that they had been taken hostage.
Only four out of the 26 employed people at the Mutare branch survived the axe.
The retrenched employees questioned the criteria used in determining their packages, arguing that the company offered everyone a similar package regardless of years worked.
“They want to pay us flat amounts regardless of the years of service.
“This is shocking,” said one of the angry workers who requested anonymity.
A termination letter addressed to one of the employees and signed by Meikles managing director, a Mr P. Ellse reads: “This letter serves as notice of your contract of employment, in terms of section 12(4) of the Labour Act (Chapter 28:01) either party is entitled to give three months’ notice of termination of the contract of employment. Accordingly, your contract will be terminated with effect from Friday 20 March 2015.
“You will be paid three months’ salary in lieu of notice period in the sum of $1 002 in addition to the three months’ salary the organisation will pay a sum of $551 in appreciation of the services that you rendered to the organisation. As of March 31, you will be paid $103 as cash lieu of leave.”
Efforts to get a comment from Meikles Limited chairman Mr John Moxon were fruitless at the time of going to press as he was said to be out of the country.
Online Reporter