News / National
MDC president Welshman Ncube wants Hunyani Printpak to stay in Bulawayo
27 Jan 2011 at 00:13hrs | Views
Industry and Commerce minister Welshman Ncube is trying to block Hunyani Printpak, from relocating to Harare.
Hunyani Printpak is the country's leading manufacturer of cardboard cartons and labels.
The firm was last week reportedly closing its Bulawayo plant and moving its operations to Harare, leaving at least 150 workers jobless and thousands of waste paper recyclers without a key source of income.
Ncube told reporters that he was holding discussions with the firm to prevent its relocation.
"We are currently engaging Hunyani Printpak to try and see if their relocation to Harare can be prevented," Ncube said.
"We however have no legal authority to force any company to move or not to move from one place to another."
He added they were in the process of coming up with an industrial policy document, which would look into such issues.
"What we can do to stop such relocations is to put in place policies which will be a guideline on whether or not companies should relocate. We are already working on an industrial policy document which will have specific policies and measures to deal with issues of relocation," he said.
The minister said government's position was that companies should not relocate as this would cause de-industrialisation of other cities and towns.
"As government we are against the relocation of companies from Bulawayo to Harare or from any other city or town to another," Ncube said.
"The relocation may lead to de-industrialisation of cities and towns. Companies should be assisted from where they are based, so that people are still able to get employment as well as grow new industries."
Ncube added that the issue of de-industrialisation was one that needed to be included in the new policy document.
"The industrial policy document that we currently have in the country goes back about five years ago and does not include the issue of de-industrialisation, as it had not been envisaged," he said.
"The one we are working on will need to deal with the issue and moot ways of reversing the effects of the de-industrialisation phase the country is going through."
The new industrial policy was also meant to restore the manufacturing sector to full capacity utilisation, reviving the country's exports, unlocking medium to long-term lines of credit, finance recapitalisation and to address the drawbacks of old and antiquated equipment.
Hunyani Printpak is the country's leading manufacturer of cardboard cartons and labels.
The firm was last week reportedly closing its Bulawayo plant and moving its operations to Harare, leaving at least 150 workers jobless and thousands of waste paper recyclers without a key source of income.
Ncube told reporters that he was holding discussions with the firm to prevent its relocation.
"We are currently engaging Hunyani Printpak to try and see if their relocation to Harare can be prevented," Ncube said.
"We however have no legal authority to force any company to move or not to move from one place to another."
He added they were in the process of coming up with an industrial policy document, which would look into such issues.
"What we can do to stop such relocations is to put in place policies which will be a guideline on whether or not companies should relocate. We are already working on an industrial policy document which will have specific policies and measures to deal with issues of relocation," he said.
The minister said government's position was that companies should not relocate as this would cause de-industrialisation of other cities and towns.
"As government we are against the relocation of companies from Bulawayo to Harare or from any other city or town to another," Ncube said.
"The relocation may lead to de-industrialisation of cities and towns. Companies should be assisted from where they are based, so that people are still able to get employment as well as grow new industries."
Ncube added that the issue of de-industrialisation was one that needed to be included in the new policy document.
"The industrial policy document that we currently have in the country goes back about five years ago and does not include the issue of de-industrialisation, as it had not been envisaged," he said.
"The one we are working on will need to deal with the issue and moot ways of reversing the effects of the de-industrialisation phase the country is going through."
The new industrial policy was also meant to restore the manufacturing sector to full capacity utilisation, reviving the country's exports, unlocking medium to long-term lines of credit, finance recapitalisation and to address the drawbacks of old and antiquated equipment.
Source - Byo24NEWS
