Business / Companies
Zimplats mine workers down tools, want company to pay their electricity bills
22 Jan 2012 at 08:15hrs | Views
Hundreds of workers at giant platinum producer Zimplats have embarked on industrial action to press the mining company to pay for their household electricity supplies.
The strike has partially paralysed operations at the Ngezi plant where about 50 percent of the labour force has downed tools. Zimplats head of corporate affairs Ms Busi Chindove said most their workers at Ngezi Mine resorted to taking industrial action and 50 percent of the workforce reported for duty last week.
She said the strike had adversely affected production and revenue inflows.
Ms Chindove said the strike was precipitated by an ongoing dispute over the payment of Zesa bills.
She said the workers insist the company, which is the world's second largest platinum producer, should foot the bills, a demand the company has opposed.
Zimplats insists that the bills are for the attention of the residents/employees.
She said the workers' houses are under the jurisdiction of the Mhondoro-Ngezi Rural District Council, adding that the employees appeared to have been irked by a decision taken by the company to suspend their workers' committee chairperson, Mr Lucky Kapondora.
The workers viewed the suspension as victimisation.
Zimplats workers accuse management of reneging on an earlier agreement to settle their electricity bills.
The dispute has since spilled into the courts.
The strike has partially paralysed operations at the Ngezi plant where about 50 percent of the labour force has downed tools. Zimplats head of corporate affairs Ms Busi Chindove said most their workers at Ngezi Mine resorted to taking industrial action and 50 percent of the workforce reported for duty last week.
She said the strike had adversely affected production and revenue inflows.
Ms Chindove said the strike was precipitated by an ongoing dispute over the payment of Zesa bills.
She said the workers insist the company, which is the world's second largest platinum producer, should foot the bills, a demand the company has opposed.
She said the workers' houses are under the jurisdiction of the Mhondoro-Ngezi Rural District Council, adding that the employees appeared to have been irked by a decision taken by the company to suspend their workers' committee chairperson, Mr Lucky Kapondora.
The workers viewed the suspension as victimisation.
Zimplats workers accuse management of reneging on an earlier agreement to settle their electricity bills.
The dispute has since spilled into the courts.
Source - ziana
