Tsvangirai salary storm thickens

DOZENS of former staffers at the now-defunct Prime Minister's Office have reportedly fallen on hard times following reports that the MDC-T leader, ex-Premier Morgan Tsvangirai, and his top party officials are haggling over responsiblity of payment of the former workers' outstanding salaries and severance packages.

The former workers, some of whom used to work at the Prime Minister's Charter House and Avondale offices, have accused Tsvangirai of neglecting them following the abolition of his post.

The workers claimed they had now been turned destitute after they were made redundant last October as they could not secure employment elsewhere.

Some of the former workers are reported to have said their woes worsened after MDC-T secretary-general Tendai Biti and deputy treasurer-general Elton Mangoma reportedly ignored Tsvangirai's suggestions to get the party to pay the workers.

"We want our packages for the four years we worked in his office as we had been promised," a former worker who declined to be named said.

MDC-T sources said Tsvangirai wanted to pay the workers through party funds, a directive that failed to get support from others in the party.

"Some people came to the PM's office and have nothing to do with Harvest House, therefore, to expect anything from Harvest House is a waste of time. The party is facing challenges of its own and has retrenched more than 100 workers. There is no paperwork with the MDC-T on Tsvangirai workers."

In a letter addressed to Tsvangirai by one of his former employees, a number of meetings took place at the MDC-T leader's Highlands house and Harvest House to try and deal with the matter, but without any positive results.

Contacted for comment, Tsvangirai's spokesperson Luke Tamborinyoka said: "We don't conduct human resources issues in papers. If there are people with issues, they should come through proper channels."

Party spokesperson Douglas Mwonzora referred the issue to Mangoma who, however, was unreachable for comment.

Coalition Against Corruption (Cac) the leading anti-corruption organisation in the country said it is greatly dismayed by reports that the MDC-T has dithered in paying former staff who were employed in the former Prime Minister's office their outstanding salaries as well as retrenchment packages.

"It was rather naive for MDC-T to behave in such an archaic manner considering that the same workers had played a role in attempting to propel Morgan Tsvangirai into presidency," said Cac.

"Such inhuman actions being perpetrated by a party that claims to have been formed on the basis of labour backed principles are quite shameful to say the least.

"Ironically, the same party had issued a statement condemning the State-owned Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation (ZBC) for not paying its workers.

Cac urges party president Morgan Tsvangirai to pay his former staffers since this is actually a violation of the Labour Act and the party knows how the law operates.

Cac also urges Tsvangirai to investigate issues of rampant abuse of donor funds by some senior members who were employed at the former his office since this has resulted in the suffering of scores of individuals.

Cac urged the employees to seek recourse with the courts and pursue their outstanding monies so that fairness and justice is restored.

Cac says refusing to pay workers is actually a corrupt act.