Zanu PF losing MP candidate allegedly fails to pay employees

The 2013 general election Zanu PF losing MP candidate in Emganwini constituency in Bulawayo Elfas Mashaba who owns Shield Security Company is embroiled in a serious labour wrangle with six security guards for failing to pay them a total of over $25 000 which they are owed due to under payment since 2013 and nonpayment of salaries for three months this year.

Mashaba lost the election to MDC-T candidate Phelela Masuku the current incumbent.

The guards, Lucky Zhandire and five others took their case to the National Employment Council (NEC) for the security sector in Bulawayo demanding payment from their former employer. The guards have since left their jobs due to continued financial problems at the company.

Zhandire said they left their job on January 31, this year after the employer failed to pay them for three consecutive months yet the company had already accumulated a total of $25 5781,67 when it underpaid them since 2013 and failed to pay them for three months in 2014. He said at the time they left the company had not paid them for three months since November 2014.

The angry guards took the matter up with the NEC and the NEC's designated agent a D Munemo wrote a letter to the company calling representatives to attend an arbitration meeting with the six guards over the issue but the company did not attend.

The guards went back to the NEC which again wrote another letter dated April 1, 2015 asking the shield Security management to attend the same meeting.

The letter which cite the appellants as Zhandire and five other while the company is the respondent states that the case is on allegations of nonpayment of overtime, leave days, underpayment of salaries and terminal benefits.

The letter signed by the NEC designated agent reads, "In order to solve the matter amicably, you are invited to call at the Council's office suite 205 Garden Court at corner 14th Avenue and Robert Mugabe way in Bulawayo on April 7 2015 at 9am for meeting with the undersigned."

On April 7 the guards said they attended the meeting which did not yield any progress and were advised that another date will be set for they case.

According to papers shown by Zhandire, the company owed each one of them $690 for the three months which totals to $4140 none paid. Zhandire also said his five colleagues were owed a total of $3740 each while he was owed $2738,67 on under payment, leave days and overtime which all in all totaled to $21 438,67. The figures given show that the company owes the six guards a total of $25 5781,67.

Mashaba could not be reached for comment but an official at the company said everything was above board indicating that the former employees were not owed anything.