Business / Local
Mine workers around Gwanda chronicle cocktail of unfair labour practices
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Mine workers in Matabeleland South have reported facing threats of illness, death from diseases, violations of their labour and human rights, and horrific living conditions during their work in mines.
The mine workers, drawn from various mines around Gwanda district, described numerous unfair labour practices by employers, including poor remuneration, unfair dismissals, victimisation for raising concerns about their rights, poor accommodation, lack of ablution facilities, inadequate personal protective clothing (PPE), and physical abuse, among other issues.
The workers' representatives voiced these concerns during the Zimbabwe Diamond and Allied Minerals Workers Union's (ZDAMWU) Gwanda regional meeting, held recently in the Matabeleland South provincial capital.
The meeting aimed to adopt the union's second congress resolutions, passed during the congress held in Bulawayo in August. These resolutions focused on fostering proper health conditions, fair labour practices, living wages and salaries, an end to sexual harassment in mines, and adequate PPE provisions, among other issues.
A Blanket Mine workers' representative lamented poor remuneration and allowances.
"Our salaries at Blanket Mine are meaningless. If they say there is an increment, you would be told that it's 1.5%, and 1.5% of nothing is nothing. If you are being paid US$200 and 1.5% is added, what is that?" said the worker.
"The money we are getting as workers at Blanket Mine is below the poverty datum line. Recently, it was US$455, but I believe it's now around US$600. Yet the lowest-paid employee is earning less than that."
He also highlighted challenges with allowances, noting that standby workers are paid only US$1 and that unpaid overtime is common. Workers are made to work 12-hour shifts but are not allowed to claim overtime pay, instead being forced to take time off.
"On accommodation, some live in houses unsuitable for habitation. When it rains, you sleep standing with sheets. We use Blair toilets at Blanket Mine, and we do not think this is acceptable in this modern day; these are colonial conditions," he said.
He further complained about discrimination in housing allocation, with workers placed in high-density areas while management resides in low-density areas with uninterrupted electricity supply.
A Jessie Mine workers' representative expressed concerns that trade union members are often blocked from attending union business, with management sometimes refusing to grant them permission to attend.
"When requesting PPE, you are told there is none, and you are forced to work without it. When PPE eventually becomes available, you are required to return the old one before receiving the new one," he said.
He also voiced concerns about poor toilet facilities, adding that workers fear a cholera outbreak during the rainy season.
A Horn Mine workers' representative said workers reside in uninhabitable cabins, with only human resources officers enjoying better accommodation.
"We are suffering. When it's hot, you cannot enter that cabin; you have to spend the day under trees," he said.
He appealed for ZDAMWU to intervene regarding allowances, adding that most lower-grade workers are not given any.
The workers' representative also decried poor safety and health conditions, noting the presence of unusable toilets and workers resorting to relieving themselves in the bush. He raised concerns about poor-quality water, posing a serious health risk, and noted that PPE shortages further endangered workers.
A Freda Mine representative said management frequently fires workers arbitrarily and called for ZDAMWU's intervention, highlighting that many workers have been dismissed for union activism.
"We are seeking proper procedures to be followed when one is to be fired so that we can defend ourselves. If you enter Freda Mine, you will think it's a cattle kraal. No water, no good sanitation, no education," he said.
"We need proper living conditions in that company. Health-wise, we are happy because they recently opened a clinic there. Previously, we had to walk 15 km to reach a clinic."
A representative from the Chinese-owned Long Fortune Mine lamented that Chinese employers across the country are known for disregarding labour rights.
"The Chinese are the same everywhere. At Long Fortune Mine, there is gross underpayment of workers. The lowest-paid employee earns US$180. Identifying yourself as a union member is considered an offence," he said.
"On accommodation, it is worse there. Four to eight workers share one room and use a single toilet."
Matabeleland South Labour Officer under the Ministry of Labour, Tinashe Chisveto, urged workers with unresolved labour disputes to appeal to the ministry within 30 days of company-level hearings.
"As a ministry, we fight for fair labour standards," Chisveto said.
ZDAMWU General Secretary Justice Chinhema said that despite the workers' concerns about poor accommodation at mines, the union had resolved to fight against workers' dependence on employers for housing. He added that workers should be given opportunities to own their houses or rural homes to avoid desperation after retirement or dismissal.
"We are against the compounding of workers. We do not want to see what is happening now at Shabani Mashava Mine, where former workers are now desperate for accommodation after being evicted from company houses," he said.
Meanwhile, three illegal gold panners recently fell into an excavation shaft at Vumbachikwe Mine in Gwanda. Reports indicate that rescue operations managed to retrieve only one body, with two others remaining unrecovered.
Reports suggest that the remains of about 17 other panners, who had previously fallen into the same site, were also discovered during the rescue efforts.
The frequent illegal invasion of the mine by gold panners highlights serious neglect by the current owners, Forbes and Thompson Private Limited Company, who have failed to revive the mine since its closure in 2022 following worker protests over unpaid salaries.
The mine has remained closed, with the owners seemingly shifting operations to a milling company without significant mining activities. Allegations have surfaced that some remaining corrupt workers accept bribes to sneak in illegal panners for underground mining.
A source at Vumbachikwe Mine said tragedy struck recently when three people fell into the mine excavation site and died.
"Three people fell into the old excavation site and died. Their relatives reported the accident to the police. So far, only one body has been recovered from level 34. The other, at level 20, could not be retrieved due to inaccessible conditions," the source said.
"During the search for the three victims, the team reportedly discovered other unidentified bodies, which has been kept secret."
The source claimed that the rumoured 17 deaths in the mine shafts were indeed true.
Contacted for comment, Matabeleland South Acting Mining Director Tariro Ndhlovu had not responded to inquiries.
Meanwhile, a source indicated that the company recently paid workers a meagre US$105 as part of outstanding wages owed from September to November 2022.
"This was a deliberate move to evade the pending High Court corporate rescue case. Before releasing the funds, they pressured us to sign complaint forms to justify firing and evicting us from the mine premises. Their plan has failed since no judgment was delivered within 30 days of issuing the notification for a hearing under Chapter 28 of the Labour Act, Section 101 SS 6," the source said.
"The payment started last week. The company has not yet resumed full operations. Only about 100 workers are under essential service, and we have little hope that the mine will ever reopen given the current circumstances."
The mine workers, drawn from various mines around Gwanda district, described numerous unfair labour practices by employers, including poor remuneration, unfair dismissals, victimisation for raising concerns about their rights, poor accommodation, lack of ablution facilities, inadequate personal protective clothing (PPE), and physical abuse, among other issues.
The workers' representatives voiced these concerns during the Zimbabwe Diamond and Allied Minerals Workers Union's (ZDAMWU) Gwanda regional meeting, held recently in the Matabeleland South provincial capital.
The meeting aimed to adopt the union's second congress resolutions, passed during the congress held in Bulawayo in August. These resolutions focused on fostering proper health conditions, fair labour practices, living wages and salaries, an end to sexual harassment in mines, and adequate PPE provisions, among other issues.
A Blanket Mine workers' representative lamented poor remuneration and allowances.
"Our salaries at Blanket Mine are meaningless. If they say there is an increment, you would be told that it's 1.5%, and 1.5% of nothing is nothing. If you are being paid US$200 and 1.5% is added, what is that?" said the worker.
"The money we are getting as workers at Blanket Mine is below the poverty datum line. Recently, it was US$455, but I believe it's now around US$600. Yet the lowest-paid employee is earning less than that."
He also highlighted challenges with allowances, noting that standby workers are paid only US$1 and that unpaid overtime is common. Workers are made to work 12-hour shifts but are not allowed to claim overtime pay, instead being forced to take time off.
"On accommodation, some live in houses unsuitable for habitation. When it rains, you sleep standing with sheets. We use Blair toilets at Blanket Mine, and we do not think this is acceptable in this modern day; these are colonial conditions," he said.
He further complained about discrimination in housing allocation, with workers placed in high-density areas while management resides in low-density areas with uninterrupted electricity supply.
A Jessie Mine workers' representative expressed concerns that trade union members are often blocked from attending union business, with management sometimes refusing to grant them permission to attend.
"When requesting PPE, you are told there is none, and you are forced to work without it. When PPE eventually becomes available, you are required to return the old one before receiving the new one," he said.
He also voiced concerns about poor toilet facilities, adding that workers fear a cholera outbreak during the rainy season.
A Horn Mine workers' representative said workers reside in uninhabitable cabins, with only human resources officers enjoying better accommodation.
"We are suffering. When it's hot, you cannot enter that cabin; you have to spend the day under trees," he said.
He appealed for ZDAMWU to intervene regarding allowances, adding that most lower-grade workers are not given any.
The workers' representative also decried poor safety and health conditions, noting the presence of unusable toilets and workers resorting to relieving themselves in the bush. He raised concerns about poor-quality water, posing a serious health risk, and noted that PPE shortages further endangered workers.
A Freda Mine representative said management frequently fires workers arbitrarily and called for ZDAMWU's intervention, highlighting that many workers have been dismissed for union activism.
"We are seeking proper procedures to be followed when one is to be fired so that we can defend ourselves. If you enter Freda Mine, you will think it's a cattle kraal. No water, no good sanitation, no education," he said.
"We need proper living conditions in that company. Health-wise, we are happy because they recently opened a clinic there. Previously, we had to walk 15 km to reach a clinic."
A representative from the Chinese-owned Long Fortune Mine lamented that Chinese employers across the country are known for disregarding labour rights.
"The Chinese are the same everywhere. At Long Fortune Mine, there is gross underpayment of workers. The lowest-paid employee earns US$180. Identifying yourself as a union member is considered an offence," he said.
"On accommodation, it is worse there. Four to eight workers share one room and use a single toilet."
Matabeleland South Labour Officer under the Ministry of Labour, Tinashe Chisveto, urged workers with unresolved labour disputes to appeal to the ministry within 30 days of company-level hearings.
"As a ministry, we fight for fair labour standards," Chisveto said.
ZDAMWU General Secretary Justice Chinhema said that despite the workers' concerns about poor accommodation at mines, the union had resolved to fight against workers' dependence on employers for housing. He added that workers should be given opportunities to own their houses or rural homes to avoid desperation after retirement or dismissal.
"We are against the compounding of workers. We do not want to see what is happening now at Shabani Mashava Mine, where former workers are now desperate for accommodation after being evicted from company houses," he said.
Meanwhile, three illegal gold panners recently fell into an excavation shaft at Vumbachikwe Mine in Gwanda. Reports indicate that rescue operations managed to retrieve only one body, with two others remaining unrecovered.
Reports suggest that the remains of about 17 other panners, who had previously fallen into the same site, were also discovered during the rescue efforts.
The frequent illegal invasion of the mine by gold panners highlights serious neglect by the current owners, Forbes and Thompson Private Limited Company, who have failed to revive the mine since its closure in 2022 following worker protests over unpaid salaries.
The mine has remained closed, with the owners seemingly shifting operations to a milling company without significant mining activities. Allegations have surfaced that some remaining corrupt workers accept bribes to sneak in illegal panners for underground mining.
A source at Vumbachikwe Mine said tragedy struck recently when three people fell into the mine excavation site and died.
"Three people fell into the old excavation site and died. Their relatives reported the accident to the police. So far, only one body has been recovered from level 34. The other, at level 20, could not be retrieved due to inaccessible conditions," the source said.
"During the search for the three victims, the team reportedly discovered other unidentified bodies, which has been kept secret."
The source claimed that the rumoured 17 deaths in the mine shafts were indeed true.
Contacted for comment, Matabeleland South Acting Mining Director Tariro Ndhlovu had not responded to inquiries.
Meanwhile, a source indicated that the company recently paid workers a meagre US$105 as part of outstanding wages owed from September to November 2022.
"This was a deliberate move to evade the pending High Court corporate rescue case. Before releasing the funds, they pressured us to sign complaint forms to justify firing and evicting us from the mine premises. Their plan has failed since no judgment was delivered within 30 days of issuing the notification for a hearing under Chapter 28 of the Labour Act, Section 101 SS 6," the source said.
"The payment started last week. The company has not yet resumed full operations. Only about 100 workers are under essential service, and we have little hope that the mine will ever reopen given the current circumstances."
Source - Byo24News
