News / National
Coal Mining giant dismisses 400 employees
20 Dec 2020 at 07:15hrs | Views
December 12, of 2020 saw the unfair dismissal of 400 workers at Zimbabwe's giant coal mining company Makomo Resources, situate in Hwange, Zimbabwe. This was revealed by the Secretary-General of National Mine Workers Union of Zimbabwe (NMWUZ), Mr Silvester Mushaike.
"This indiscriminate dismissal by Makomo Resources is unfair labour practice and a display of calloused wage theft which is criminal and denies workers their right to be heard and openly voice their labour concerns. To me this is tantamount to modern day slavery," bemoaned Mr Mushaike.
Mooted investigations currently underway by NMWUZ have so far revealed that the move was provoked by a sit-in industrial action by the 400 mine workers which emanated from non payment of salaries for three consecutive months.
"I'm yet to see an employee who can survive for three months without a salary in a dilapidated economy like ours and is expected not to take action to recover his only means of survival," Mr Mushaike added.
Meanwhile, the 400 employees are reported to have organised the sit-in in an endeavour to engage management to map a way forward pertaining their salaries. However management because of its preconceived and unjust labour stance, demonized the sit-in.
In pursuit of normalcy, the workers approached various sectors they thought would assist in making management understand their position but the move bore no desired fruit for them.
Mr Kuda Nyabondo, the General Manager of Makomo Resources whilst addressing the Labour Officer and the NMWUZ seemed to insinuate that as management they took advantage of the sit-in to oppress their workforce, taking the sit-in as an advantage to undermine the demands of the workers and arbitrarily sack them from work without any effort to make amends to settle their scores.
During a hearing with a Labour Officer and NMWUZ National Organiser Thobekile Shoko, sources privy to this report can reveal that Mr Nyabondo the General Manager of Makomo Resources was quoted saying, "We took advantage of the sit-in."
"The employees resorted to conducting a sit-in in the face of massive exploitation which pauses unnecessary inconveniences aimed at frustrating the employees while churning huge profits for the coal giant Makomo Resources," noted the Secretary-General.
What Nyabondo failed to understand is that the workers having not received their wages for three months, were driven by desperation into conducting the sit-in. The fact that he Nyabondo is glorifying taking advantage of that desperation which Makomo created speaks to massive exploitation.
Apparently, NMWUZ and the Hwange Labour Officer are currently making frantic efforts to try to help Makomo Resources Management and it's employees find each other quickly and allow for sanity to prevail.
Such exploitation and outright negation of the labour grievances of 400 workers is a detour of Makomo Resources from it's values and vision to be a vital part of Zimbabwe's mining sector, and its commitment to the successful development of the country, its people, and neighbours.
With such a move causing the dismissal of 400 workers with a genuine labour issue, it's now suspicious to safely have inherent good faith in Makomo Resources' mission of a commitment to value long-term relations, fronted by honesty, integrity, discipline, and decent work for its employees, community and environment.
The latest is that management is reinstating employees of their choice, using a divide-and-rule tactical approach, which is pure segregation aimed at victimising those left out. Meanwhile the lowest paid mine workers is getting 20 000 rtgs.
Makomo Resources (Pvt) Limited, is a coal mining company in the Bulawayo Mining District of Zimbabwe, with its mineral resource at Entuba Colliery which is situated approximately 17 km from the Hwange Town in the Matabeleland North province. It has a monthly production of 300 000 tonnes and an annual turnover of US$6 million.
Raymond Mutokonyi is the current director at Makomo Resources.
National Mine Workers Union of Zimbabwe (NMWUZ) has since vowed to stand hand-in-glove with Makomo Resources' miners until economic justice is delivered.
"This indiscriminate dismissal by Makomo Resources is unfair labour practice and a display of calloused wage theft which is criminal and denies workers their right to be heard and openly voice their labour concerns. To me this is tantamount to modern day slavery," bemoaned Mr Mushaike.
Mooted investigations currently underway by NMWUZ have so far revealed that the move was provoked by a sit-in industrial action by the 400 mine workers which emanated from non payment of salaries for three consecutive months.
"I'm yet to see an employee who can survive for three months without a salary in a dilapidated economy like ours and is expected not to take action to recover his only means of survival," Mr Mushaike added.
Meanwhile, the 400 employees are reported to have organised the sit-in in an endeavour to engage management to map a way forward pertaining their salaries. However management because of its preconceived and unjust labour stance, demonized the sit-in.
In pursuit of normalcy, the workers approached various sectors they thought would assist in making management understand their position but the move bore no desired fruit for them.
Mr Kuda Nyabondo, the General Manager of Makomo Resources whilst addressing the Labour Officer and the NMWUZ seemed to insinuate that as management they took advantage of the sit-in to oppress their workforce, taking the sit-in as an advantage to undermine the demands of the workers and arbitrarily sack them from work without any effort to make amends to settle their scores.
During a hearing with a Labour Officer and NMWUZ National Organiser Thobekile Shoko, sources privy to this report can reveal that Mr Nyabondo the General Manager of Makomo Resources was quoted saying, "We took advantage of the sit-in."
What Nyabondo failed to understand is that the workers having not received their wages for three months, were driven by desperation into conducting the sit-in. The fact that he Nyabondo is glorifying taking advantage of that desperation which Makomo created speaks to massive exploitation.
Apparently, NMWUZ and the Hwange Labour Officer are currently making frantic efforts to try to help Makomo Resources Management and it's employees find each other quickly and allow for sanity to prevail.
Such exploitation and outright negation of the labour grievances of 400 workers is a detour of Makomo Resources from it's values and vision to be a vital part of Zimbabwe's mining sector, and its commitment to the successful development of the country, its people, and neighbours.
With such a move causing the dismissal of 400 workers with a genuine labour issue, it's now suspicious to safely have inherent good faith in Makomo Resources' mission of a commitment to value long-term relations, fronted by honesty, integrity, discipline, and decent work for its employees, community and environment.
The latest is that management is reinstating employees of their choice, using a divide-and-rule tactical approach, which is pure segregation aimed at victimising those left out. Meanwhile the lowest paid mine workers is getting 20 000 rtgs.
Makomo Resources (Pvt) Limited, is a coal mining company in the Bulawayo Mining District of Zimbabwe, with its mineral resource at Entuba Colliery which is situated approximately 17 km from the Hwange Town in the Matabeleland North province. It has a monthly production of 300 000 tonnes and an annual turnover of US$6 million.
Raymond Mutokonyi is the current director at Makomo Resources.
National Mine Workers Union of Zimbabwe (NMWUZ) has since vowed to stand hand-in-glove with Makomo Resources' miners until economic justice is delivered.
Source - Own correspondent
