Sabi mining saga reaches boiling point

TROUBLED Sabi miners in Zvishavane yesterday rejected a move by management to coerce them to accept unpaid backdated leave saying their labour rights were being violated.

Chaos erupted during a meeting between management and employees as enraged miners threatened to physically attack their bosses who were trying to negotiate with the workers.

They slammed the management led by Sabi Mine manager Levison Machiri, human resource manager Sebastian Muranga and finance manager Edgar Banda for infringing on their labour rights after declaring that all workers had to go on forced unpaid leave.

"Workers' union representatives said the chaos started when mine management announced it wanted to effect forced unpaid leave with effect from June 10 when the mine's woes had started following attachment of property by the Deputy Sheriff," a daily paper reported today.

According to reports, workers said mine managers had become irrelevant as they had failed to address their grievances and they now wanted the Zimbabwe Mining Development Corporation general manager Wilson Chinzou to address them.

"We want our outstanding dues together with a lump sum amount before we can negotiate for the so-called unpaid leave," the mine's workers' trade union chairperson Mariko Mahaso said.

Since the "collapse" of the gold rich mine, workers were only given $15 and $30 as salaries for June and July respectively.