adminThe Zimbabwe Bankers Allied Workers Union (Zibawu) president Mr Peter Mutasa told Business Chronicle that the bank’s employees also threatened to go on industrial action to force their employer to adhere to the Employee and Management Share Ownership Scheme.
Employee and Management Share Ownership Scheme empowers workers within their respective organisations to participate in the Indigenisation and Economic Empowerment Programme by buying between five and 28 percent shares in their firms.
“The workers have given a 14-day strike notice, which expires on the 20th of December. There are two issues the workers have raised and would want them addressed by their employer.
“The first issue is on salaries; the workers are saying they want their salaries to be in line with what other banks in the country are paying.
“At the moment, the lowest paid employee at the bank is getting a minimum wage gazetted by the National Employment Council for the banking industry, which is $575 all inclusive,” he said.
“They are saying their employer is refusing to take part in the Employee and Management Share Ownership Scheme for them to acquire shares in the bank.”
He said the workers are arguing that the bank has a stronger asset base and was making huge profits which it was repatriating to the United Kingdom where the financial institution is headquartered.
“The workers have also said their employer’s loan book was not even impressive as the bank is holding on to the money it should be lending out.”
Mr Mutasa said Zibawu and other negotiating parties would next week meet the Ministry of Labour and Social Services for conciliation.
According to Mr Mutasa, failure to reach a consensus would result in a certificate of no settlement on the above matters being issued and thus paving way for a job action by Standard Chartered Bank workers.
“As a union, we are assisting them (workers) to organise themselves for that exercise.”
However, efforts to get a comment from Standard Chartered Bank chief executive Mr Ralph Watungwa were futile.
Online Reporter