Bank workers up in arms Zimbabwe Bankers Workers Union demonstrate against Barclays management outside the banks headquarters along First Street yesterday
Zimbabwe Bankers Workers Union demonstrate against Barclays management outside the banks headquarters along First Street yesterday

Zimbabwe Bankers Workers Union demonstrate against Barclays management outside the banks headquarters along First Street yesterday

Kudakwashe Pembere/Zvifadzo Lubombo Business Reporters
 THE Zimbabwe Banks and Allied Workers Union demonstrated against Barclays Bank at its head office after the bank failed to reach an agreement with its workers union on salary increment negotiations.
The demonstration came as the union has issued a 14-day notice to picket the bank. Zibawu had threatened to picket Barclays Bank and NMB Bank for failing to conclude salary negotiations with their employees.
Zibawu president Mr Farai Katsande said that the demonstration was a protest against the Barclays Bank management’s “arrogance”.
“The demonstration is a result of Barclays’ unwillingness to comply with our demands. We are saying Barclays is being unfair to its workers because it’s not negotiating in good faith. The management has remained very arrogant and do not want to negotiate with us,” he said.
He added that after a deadlock between the works council and the banks’ management the matter was referred to the Ministry of Labour for conciliation where a certificate of no settlement was issued.
Zibawu general secretary Mr Peter Mutasa said the collective job action for Barclays’ management was served with a notice of the collective job action on August 26 after workers and management failed to agree on a figure.
He said Barclays Bank workers were seeking a 35 percent salary increase while management had offered a 3,75 percent increase.
“However, we have to wait for 14 days to lapse after serving the bank with the notice before we can take any action,” he said.
He said labour officers were facilitating a voting process at Barclays to ascertain if the workers wanted the collective job action to take place.
Mr Mutasa said once approved, pickets against Barclays would be held across the country and internationally since the bank was an international bank.
“We intend to engage trade unions in all the countries where Barclays Bank operate so that they can join us in demonstrating against such unfair practices by management,” he said.
“Employers should negotiate with their employees fairly. As workers we feel management awarding themselves hefty salary increments while they give workers insignificant salaries is widening the wage gap between managerial and non-managerial staff and it’s about time something is done about it.”
Barclays confirmed that members of the Zibawu engaged in picketing outside its head office in
Harare and assured all its stakeholders that Barclays Bank employees did not participate in this action and all normal banking services were offered across all branches and on the various service channels.
The employees at the bank had gone for two years without any increment and were demonstrating in line with Section 104(A) of the Labour Act.
They wanted the institution to increase the salaries in respect of the collective individual workers’ rights.
The union has justified calls for salary reviews on the back of surging bank deposits since dollarisation in 2009. However, some banks have indicated various restructuring measures that include job cuts, rationalising and streamlining of operations in a bid to contain costs and boost operational efficiencies.

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