So near yet so far

The workers are entangled in a war that they never asked for as the Government, through Ministry of Mines and Mining Development, and Essar fight over the ownership structure of the vast iron ore resource in the country.

In an apparent gesture read in certain quarters as muscle-flexing to push for a speedy conclusion of the deal, the new major shareholder, Essar, suspended the payment of salaries to workers sometime in April, leaving most of them facing a number of socio-economic challenges.

The Indian-based steel conglomerate had, according to Industry and Commerce Minister, Professor Welshman Ncube, paid more than $32 million in salary arrears in the last 16 months until the Ministry of Mines and Mining Development asked for the revisiting of the iron ore claims deal.

A recent visit by a Chronicle news team to the Redcliff-based steel manufacturing company revealed that some families were again surviving through informal means like cross-border trading, odd jobs like gardening while others now depend on poaching dumped used coke — also known as coke breeze — from the company’s dumpsite for resell to neighbouring backyard industries and tobacco farmers. This is a throwback to the forgettable lives they endured after the collapse of Zisco until the Essar deal.

To most NewZim Steel employees, the Essar takeover of Government shares in Zisco promised to change their lives for the better.

Their hopes are best encapsulated in the axiom, “so near yet so far”.

It is decidedly difficult for a guest who witnessed the launch of NewZim Steel last year to imagine that the steel workers were the same lot that were singing “Canaan yazosvika” at the launch. Loosely translated,  “Canaan yazosvika” means the “good times are upon us”. Canaan is the biblical land of milk and honey that the Israelites had been promised by God as they came out of bondage from Egypt.

In interviews last week, the workers said the bickering between Government and Essar over iron ore claims were affecting their way of living.

The workers, who all spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of victimisation, said their colleagues on HIV treatment were dying of stress-related diseases while others have been kicked out of their lodgings after defaulting in rentals.

“We are facing a number of challenges here. Landlords are kicking us out of their houses without even demanding that we leave part of our property as surety that we will pay them. It is difficult to get accommodation, once property owners know that you are a Zisco employee. Our colleagues who get admitted at hospitals in Kwekwe are not coming back. I would say 90 percent of them are dying mainly due to stress and lack of a good diet. HIV patients need food. We are failing to send our children to schools of our choice.

“In fact, there is no difference between life under Zisco and that under Essar. Our hopes were raised when Essar came on board only for the Ministry of Mines (and Mining Development) to question the deal several months later,” moaned one of the workers at the Redcliff steel plant.

Most of the workers who insisted on calling their company by its old name — Ziscosteel — said the Government needed to act fast in resolving the iron ore claims impasse.

The workers said Essar had promised them that normal operations will start this month but indications are that they still have some waiting to do.

“Our prayers are that Essar resumes paying us salaries as they have been doing since they came on board. It is now three months since they suspended salaries. We have not received pay from the beginning of May to date. They told us that they will only start paying us in July, as they are expecting to start operating at the beginning of the month.

“This fighting between our employer and Government should end as it is affecting us, the workers.

We are failing to make ends meet. As workers we cannot depend on selling breeze as we are not allowed to take anything from the company premises, even dumped stuff from the dumpsite. Anyone caught doing so faces automatic dismissal. There are, however, some of us who work at nearby farms on part-time basis whenever they are off-duty,” said a middle-aged NewZim Steel worker residing in Torwood’s Q section.

He said their unemployed family members were sustaining them and their children through reselling coke breeze and scrap metal.

He said their target market for coke breeze were tobacco farmers and manufactures of cast iron products like three-legged pots.

The workers alleged that the workforce at NewZim Steel was mainly engaged in maintenance work and general cleaning. They also said the company has since stopped the programme of apprenticeship training owing to the challenges.

“This is how bad things have become at the once mighty Ziscosteel. In the past, for example, all workers had free accommodation provided for by the employer but these houses were sold to workers most of whom have since retired. There is also just one bus that makes two trips to Mbizo, Amaveni and the city centre in Kwekwe where most of us live,” said another worker.

It appears there is division among the workers. One camp is anti-change and another is pro-change.  Some allege that some of their colleagues and part of the old management were strongly opposing the Essar takeover of the company.

“We have people who feed the old management with information on what is happening among us workers. This group and part of the old management do not want Essar to takeover Zisco. Technically speaking, the company is, however, still Ziscosteel as Essar is still to put in place its systems,” said a worker.

The workers also blamed their workers’ union representatives of taking a laid-back approach in fighting for their welfare.

They alleged that the workers’ representatives are always going to Harare for meetings with either Essar or the Government but there is little or no feedback.

“As it is we do not know the latest developments concerning our company, save for the little that we glance from the media. We are in the dark as there is no feedback,” said one worker.

The Zimbabwe Metal Energy and Allied Workers Union (ZIMEAWU)’s paralegal officer, Mr Moses Kavhenga adopted “a play it safe” approach when asked to comment on the workers’ plight.
“No comment. Let me refer you to the human resources manager who is the company’s mouthpiece,” he said.

Mines and Mining Development Minister, Dr Obert Mpofu said he could not comment on NewZim Steel happenings as it was more of a manufacturing company.  He referred all questions to Prof Ncube.

Prof Ncube, in an interview on Tuesday, described what needed to be done for NewZim Steel to start operating as “simple work.”

“Essar paid the workers over $32 million in total as salaries until the Minister of Mines and Mining Development and his deputy announced that they were not going to honour the Essar deal because of the mineral rights. If we transfer iron ore claims including those of Buchwa and Mwanesi (in Chivhu), end of story. There is no need to reinvent the wheel by coming with Plan B or C when what we all need to do is simply transfer the claims and production will start tomorrow.

“Essar are the only ones with the resources and means for now to take care of the workers. What we need to do is to honour the deal, honour our pact, finito,” he said.