adminThe parastatal has been struggling to pay its workers since the dollarisation of the economy in 2009.
This resulted in workers going on a nationwide strike in August last year to press the management to pay them outstanding salaries and allowances.
In an interview yesterday, representatives of workers said they were owed six months salaries and they feared they were unlikely to be paid bonuses.
They said NRZ was taking two months to pay a month’s salary.
Zimbabwe Railway Artisans Union president, Mr Shadreck Mutakura, said workers were likely to have a bleak festive season.
“Some are still being paid their May salaries. The situation is now worse than before because there is a bigger problem. The management keeps saying there is no business but as far as workers are concerned we know that there is business. The problem is lack of proper management,” said Mr Mutakura.
“There is no transparency and the situation does not transform to what happens on the ground. The company is now top heavy and people tend to speak different languages when it comes to working conditions.”
Mr Mutakura said workers hoped that the management would honour payment of bonuses.
Mr Norman Simba, from the Railway Association of Enginemen (RAE), confirmed that his members were owed six months salaries.
‘Workers are even owed allowances dating back to 2009 and the management came up with a separate payroll for this. Just tomorrow we will be owed seven months salaries,” he said.
There are four unions at NRZ which are RAU, RAE, Zimbabwe Amalgamated Railway Workers’ Union and Railway Association of Yard Operating Staff.
Asked to comment on the workers allegations, NRZ general manager Retired Air Commodore Mike Karakadzai confirmed that the parastatal was behind in paying salaries. He attributed this to poor business and overstaffing.
“The workers know where the problem is. We have almost twice the number of workers we are supposed to employ given our volume of business. We have to depend on natural attrition but under normal business operation we should have retrenched,” said Rtd Air Commodore Karakadzai.
He said the parastatal was staggering payment of salaries because the cashflow was inadequate. Rtd Air Commodore Karakadzai said workers were being paid a month’s salary over a period of six weeks.
“Every month we pay in a cycle of six weeks. Because we do not get enough we are forced to stagger salaries because it is a small cake,” he said.
The NRZ boss said workers would get their bonuses although late and in batches.
“They will get their bonuses, but it will be staggered. At the moment our one-month’s salary is spread over two months and because we have to pay bonuses this November then that would take four months. The workers know they will get their bonus,” he said.
Last year the workers dragged the employer to the Labour Court in Bulawayo over the issue of salaries, among other grievances.
Online Reporter