News / National
Tsvangirai led party 'retrenches' workers
21 Nov 2013 at 18:49hrs | Views
THE embattled Tsvangirai led MDC has allegedly retrenched four of its workers at its Masvingo offices, the state media reported.
The office, which used to have five workers, is now left with one employee as the party's traditional sponsors from the West continue to abandon it.
MDC-T has also laid off scores of its workers from its headquarters in Harare and Bulawayo.
It has also emerged that owners of the offices they are using at FBC Building along Robertson Street have expressed concern on the party's failure to pay rentals on time.
"We are in trouble that even us who have remained at work are not sure of our fate yet. Our loss to Zanu-PF came as a shock not because we did not know that we would lose the elections but the margin was just too much. The future does not also look good," said a party official.
Another official said the workers have not been getting their dues and those that have been relieved of their duties were not given their retrenchment packages.
"The situation in our party is dire, may be it is because of the loss we suffered at the hands of Zanu- PF. Presently there is no money and we do not even know when it is coming if any.
"The sponsors seem to have been fed up with the way we lost the elections and even at the headquarters workers were affected by this retrenchment exercise. We are already surviving through the skin of our teeth," he said.
Contacted for comment provincial secretary and former Member of Parliament Mr Tongai Matutu confirmed the developments but chose to play it down by saying those who were retrenched had done so voluntarily.
"Yes, I can confirm that there are retrenchments that have taken place. However, in our case the guys voluntarily asked to be retrenched and there is one staffer who was denied. Subsequently, we have one person affected. The one whose request to be retrenched is our driver and there is no way we can operate without a driver," he said.
However, Mr Matutu admitted that his party was facing serious financial challenges.
The office, which used to have five workers, is now left with one employee as the party's traditional sponsors from the West continue to abandon it.
MDC-T has also laid off scores of its workers from its headquarters in Harare and Bulawayo.
It has also emerged that owners of the offices they are using at FBC Building along Robertson Street have expressed concern on the party's failure to pay rentals on time.
"We are in trouble that even us who have remained at work are not sure of our fate yet. Our loss to Zanu-PF came as a shock not because we did not know that we would lose the elections but the margin was just too much. The future does not also look good," said a party official.
Another official said the workers have not been getting their dues and those that have been relieved of their duties were not given their retrenchment packages.
"The situation in our party is dire, may be it is because of the loss we suffered at the hands of Zanu- PF. Presently there is no money and we do not even know when it is coming if any.
"The sponsors seem to have been fed up with the way we lost the elections and even at the headquarters workers were affected by this retrenchment exercise. We are already surviving through the skin of our teeth," he said.
Contacted for comment provincial secretary and former Member of Parliament Mr Tongai Matutu confirmed the developments but chose to play it down by saying those who were retrenched had done so voluntarily.
"Yes, I can confirm that there are retrenchments that have taken place. However, in our case the guys voluntarily asked to be retrenched and there is one staffer who was denied. Subsequently, we have one person affected. The one whose request to be retrenched is our driver and there is no way we can operate without a driver," he said.
However, Mr Matutu admitted that his party was facing serious financial challenges.
Source - Chronicle
