'Air Zimbabwe workers only paid allowances'

Air Zimbabwe is losing skilled personnel because of failure to pay competitive salaries, parliament has been told.

The chairperson of the Zimbabwe Flight Crew Association (ZFCA) Otis Shonhai revealed to a parliamentary committee on transport on Monday that workers are getting allowances only.

He said the company "is overstaffed in the wrong areas but in the critical areas it is understaffed."

"There is lack of interest to retain particular skill.  We were 45 pilots at the start of the year and currently we are 35" said Shonhai.

" We have lost 10 pilots to other airlines and we will probably lose more pilots in the coming months.

"We have gone for months without getting a salary even up to present day we do not have working contracts with the company.

"All we get is a working allowance. The medical aid sometimes works but most of the times it does not."