GMB employees storm bosses' offices

Hundreds of disgruntled Grain Marketing Board (GMB) employees yesterday stormed their employer's headquarters in Harare demanding their outstanding salaries for the past six months.

Workers' union president Steven Machaya said the patience of the employees had been exhausted over non-payment of their salaries. They have come to collect their salaries, Machaya said.

Workers claim that all they want is their money as they have been patient for a long time now, but all that patience has not paid to the extent of them suffering.

It has been like this for the past two years where they get salaries late and they are tired of that.

Machaya said they had now resolved to confront Agriculture minister Joseph Made after GMB management refused to address their grievances, describing the demonstration as illegal.

GMB deputy general manager (human resources) Sibongile Muchirahondo told the striking employees that the parastatal was struggling to raise the money. GMB has been battling to pay its employees for the past year.

The parastatal also owes farmers $52,4 million for the grain delivered in the 2013/2014 summer cropping season.