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The ex-workers yesterday told Chronicle that they had not been paid retrenchment packages that the bank promised them 10 months ago.
“They had promised to pay 200 of us the whole package amount within six months, but they have not owned up to the written contract,” said an ex-worker.
He said they had been condemned to poverty as a result of the bank’s inconvenience.
“They corruptly retrenched us through a bogus workers council without the consent of the workers.
“None of the members of the workers committee was retrenched raising further suspicions that they connived with the employers,” said the former worker.
He said their effort to engage the authorities in Harare on the outstanding packages had hit a brick wall.
“We are ready to take them to the courts as they have blocked our efforts to hold a peaceful public demonstration in front of RBZ offices,” said the former worker, who preferred anonymity for fear of victimisation.
He said the central bank had not communicated with them regarding the packages.
Another former worker, in a letter written to RBZ dated 24 April 2012, challenged the retrenchment saying it was “not properly done”.
Contacted for comment, an officer at the RBZ human resources department said: “write a letter and introduce yourself”.
Meanwhile, in Harare scores of disgruntled RBZ retrenchees also gathered at the bank’s offices along Samora Machel demanding their outstanding packages.
A group of about 20 former workers of the bank said they had not been paid since December 2011.
The deputy chairman of the retrenchees, Mr Arthur Chipato, said they wanted to know when they would be paid.
He said they met the police who advised them to arrange for a meeting with the bank management rather than being confrontational.
“We will be writing to the bank requesting for a meeting so that they can tell us when we will be getting our outstanding packages,” Mr Chipato said.
The workers left the bank when the police who were called to the bank advised them to meet senior police officers.
Failure to comply, the police threatened to call for a reaction team.
Mr Chipato said the workers wanted the central bank to tell them when they should expect their payments.
“We wanted human resources or the Governor (Dr Gideon Gono) to tell us when we are going to be paid our outstanding packages.
“Schools are opening next week, we need school fees for our children. It has been difficult for us because we were last paid in December last year,” Mr Chipato said.
The central bank retrenched more than 1 000 workers and paid them part of their packages.
It is understood that the bank was going to pay off the workers from the proceeds from the sale of non-core assets.
The RBZ’s workforce had grown huge because the bank recruited more people to undertake quasi-fiscal programmes to save the economy at the height of the sanctions induced meltdown. — Chronicle Correspondent-Harare Bureau
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