pilots vow to continue strike

pays them their outstanding salaries.
The pilots, who turned up for yesterday’s hearing in large numbers, said this when they appeared before the House of Assembly Portfolio Committee on Transport, Communication and Infrastructure Development.
Acting chief executive Mr Innocent Mavhunga also appeared before the same committee and said the company was broke and pleaded with the striking workers to return to work while they looked for money to pay them the outstanding salaries.
“The organisation has no money at the moment and we are pleading with the workers to return to work. We have not been making profits for some time and the long term solution is for the recapitalisation of the company,” he said.
Mr Mavhunga said the only way to resolve the issue was for the pilots to return to the negotiating table.
“We have been negotiating with the workers and we believe it is the only way to solve the problem,” he said.
Mr Mavhunga said the company had paid the workers approximately US$4 million with the bulk of it going towards settling salaries of pilots.
But the 49 pilots were adamant that they would not return to work until their salaries were paid in full.
Spokesperson for the pilots, Captain Courage Munyanyiwa, said they were failing to fend for their families because of the failure by the company to pay them their dues.
The pilots rejected suggestions that their behaviour was tantamount to holding the nation to ransom saying they had been patient for too long.
“We have been given a lot of promises and until we are paid what they owe us, we will not go back to work.
“We have been given a lot of promises since last year and for as long as we are not paid, we will not go back to work,” he said.
Capt Munyanyiwa also said the company needed a new fleet of planes to regain competitiveness and said it was also baffling that some profitable routes had been cancelled.
The workers say the company’s management unilaterally cut their salaries last year.
“The long term solution is for the company to buy new planes, that is the only way we can regain competitiveness.
“The planes we have are old and expensive to maintain,” he said.
The pilots say they are owed US$9 million in salaries and allowances accrued since over several years.
Last year they also downed tools demanding the payment of their salaries.
The Ministry of Transport, Communications and Infrastructure Development last week bailed out Air Zimbabwe by paying US$400 000 owed to workers after they had attached the airline’s property to recover US$378 000 they were owed.
Air Zimbabwe is currently saddled with a US$100 million debt and has pulled out of 18 of its 25 routes and reduced the number of flights per week.
Acting chairman of the committee and Hurungwe North legislator, Cde Peter Chanetsa said they would study the submissions before making their recommendations.