Treger Products workers cry foul over 10pc pay cut

Amanda Ncube, Business Reporter
WORKERS at diversified manufacturing firm Treger Products are threatening to walk away after management imposed a 10 percent salary cut which was effected in July.

Some of the workers said, early this year, the company retrenched 40 of their co-workers indicating that this was meant to cut costs and save jobs but were surprised when the company imposed a pay cut. The group comprises Kango Products, Treger Plastics, Monarch and the Zimbabwe Grain Bag.

“We are working for nothing or should I say we are doing voluntary work whereby we just go to work and at the end of the month we get an allowance rather than a salary. We understand that the cash shortage in the country which forces companies to take extreme measures but what the company is doing is being inconsiderate. We have families to take care of, children to be fed and school fees to be paid but how can you do that when you are earning peanuts,” an affected worker said.

Some of the workers have already quit their jobs while remaining ones are saying if the matter is not addressed they will be left with no choice but to quit also.

“Why would we stay? At first some of us were retrenched and now they have cut our salaries. I think we have been quiet for a very long time, we as workers have decided that if our grievances are not addressed we are quitting. We would rather stay at home than to be working for nothing,” said another worker.

One worker said even those in managerial positions were also contemplating quitting. “We have noticed that we are not the only ones quitting, even some of managers are walking away especially if they are offered jobs elsewhere.”

Contacted for comment Treger Group human resources manager Mr Bheki Mangena said he was not aware of workers who want to quit.

“The only issue close to what is being alleged were wage negotiations at a national level raised by the engineering National Employment Council (NEC) after raising concerns that since inflation was on the negative, they could not sustain the current wages. However, the request was not met and wages remained the same,” said Mr Mangena.