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Business Correspondent
THE Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Union (ZCTU)’s western Region has castigated companies that continue failing to pay their workers.
In an interview, ZCTU western region officer Mr Percy Mcijo expressed concern about the plight of workers in Bulawayo who continue to go for months without getting paid.
“As ZCTU we are worried that there are a number of companies that are not paying workers their monthly salaries. How do employers expect the workers to survive without getting their salaries? Very soon schools will be opened and workers need money for school fees for their children,” said Mr Mcijo.
He expressed concern about the situation at the National Railways of Zimbabwe (NRZ) where workers go for several months without getting their monthly salaries.
“We have companies like NRZ and a number of security companies that are not paying their workers. The NRZ had promised that they are going to pay their workers but it’s not happening. We also have security companies with good contracts from reputable companies in the mining sector but they are not paying up their workers,” said the official.
Mr Mcijo said a number of indigenous companies were also not honouring their obligation to pay workers.
“We are not against indigenous companies but we just want to urge them to own up and pay their workers,” he said.
Morale of majority of workers, not only in Bulawayo but countrywide, is at an all- time low due to plethora of reasons.
Most of them earn less than the poverty datum line currently pegged at around $506.
The plight of workers in Bulawayo was also worsened by the massive de-industrialisation that led to many workers losing their jobs.
The city used to be the country’s hub of industry but owing to economic constraints prevailing, most of the companies were affected.
Many companies have closed down or relocated leaving more than 20 000 workers jobless.
Online Reporter