Crisis continue to rock AMH

The financial troubled major private media company- Alpha Media Holdings in Zimbabwe is riling into continuous crisis as the management has since last month sent journalists into two weeks unpaid leave per month in what it claims is an effort to avoid retrenchment and seek to stabilise the firm amid serious financial doldrums resulting to workers going for seven months without the US Dollar component pay and three months without ZIg component of


According to workers, this means  that they are now full time subsidizing the company with no returns for their labour.

Just last month the company employed a new human resources manager after the previous one left at the height of the company's financial crisis which workers blameon poor management and heartless leadership with misplaced priorities. 

"We are being grossly violated left right and centre by this management. We were told to work two weeks per month for the next six months from March and they promised to offset our outstanding pay arrears during this period which paying us half salaries for the six months in question," said one worker. 

The employees said this is as simple and forced leave without pay. 

"Their reasons were that there is no money and they want to gain financial grip during the six months period. While it is very unfair for them to do so, it is even worse that they are not even able to fullfil their promise to pay us half pay for the months and back pay for the arrears they owe us. As we go for the first week end of April we are going empty handed. What kind of brutality is this?," said another worker.

The employees said the management claim that the two weeks away approach was agreed on by the workers representatives during a works council engagement.

The HR then drafted temporal  contracts for all workers which spells out that they are supposed to be away for two weeks without pay and their pay will be done on pro-rata basis even their allowances and benefits.

The workers said which AHM is the major alternative voice that has faced critical scritney by the government to a point where of it's journalist Blessed Mhlanga is currently languishing in remand prison, it is very sad and disheartening that the management led by the Chief Executive Officer Kenias Mafukidze is adamently  and arrogantly unwilling to pay them and treat them fairly considering the dangers they face in the nature of their work especially journalist.

They appealed to the management to have companion and settle their dues accordingly.

"Most of us are now surviving on hand outs from relatives and friends yet we have contracts with the company thy should be paying us. It's embarrassing to be known as a journalists working for such a prominent and reputable company to beg for assistance. This situation is damaging the reputation of the once an envy if every one media house. We really do not know what really happened, it's sad that we write about other people or workers not being paid while we are even worse in terms of that. The management must change it's stance or this will totally destroy the company," said one employee