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Minister Chombo

Herald Reporters
ZANU-PF is set to hold high-level meetings this week, starting with a Politburo meeting today, Central Committee meeting on Friday and the National Consultative Assembly on Saturday.

President Mugabe will chair all the meetings that come against the backdrop of the ongoing wanton dismissal of workers by companies following a recent Supreme Court ruling permitting employers to fire workers on three months’ notice.

Worker’s, long ditched by the politicised labour movement, have been calling on the revolutionary party for salvation, with the revolutionary party’s First Secretary and President Cde Mugabe describing the law as an ass.

Officially opening the Global Small and Medium Enterprises Expo in Harare last week, President Mugabe said workers should not be treated as if they were in colonial Rhodesia where they were wantonly dismissed without any benefits.

He said the law must serve the people and not the people to serve the law, adding that Government will soon amend it.

Zanu-PF Secretary for Administration Cde Ignatius Chombo revealed the itinerary in an invite to all members of the three arms of the ruling party yesterday.

“The Zanu-PF Secretary for Administration, Cde I.M.C. Chombo, is inviting all members of the Politburo to attend the 290th Ordinary Session of the Politburo on Wednesday 5th August 2015 at Zanu-PF HQ. Members should be seated by 0900hours.

“Cde I.M.C. Chombo is also inviting all members of the Central Committee (CC) to a meeting to be held on Friday 7th August at the Zanu-PF HQ Hall. Members should be seated by 0900hours.

“Furthermore, the Secretary for Administration, Cde I.M.C Chombo, is inviting all members of the National Consultative Assembly (NCA) to attend a meeting on Saturday 8 August 2015 in the Zanu-PF HQ Hall. Members should be seated by 0900hours,” he said.

The sackings have seen 48 firms sending 18 000 workers home since the July 17 Supreme Court ruling.

This figure excludes those who were fired, but failed to report to labour unions.

As of yesterday, the Zimbabwe Federation of Trade Unions had recorded 16 000 dismissals, while the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions had 2 500 cases of fired people as of Monday.

Unilever Zimbabwe sacked 186 employees, while Moonlight Funeral Assurance and Services fired 100 workers on Monday, ZFTU said yesterday.

Other companies with high dismissals — according to ZFTU — include Econet Wireless, which had sent home 400 workers and Sino-Zim which dismissed 300 workers.

Air Zimbabwe and Choppies Zimbabwe fired 100 workers, respectively while Sakunda Holdings dismissed 80, mainly truck drivers.

Zimasco, Zimsteel Zimbabwe, Pioneer Freight, Crest Poultry Group, Steward Bank, General Engineering Private Limited, Nyadire Teachers College, Goal Zimbabwe, Clover Leaf Motors, Zimbabwe Christian College, TN Harlequin, BlueLine Dry Cleaners, Granary Investments, Metropolitan Bank, Med Tech, Windmill and Zimbabwe Pharmaceuticals are on the list of companies that had dismissed workers premised on the Supreme Court ruling, according to labour unions.

Regency Group of Hotels also dismissed 251 employees.

Workers at Flamboyant, Chevron, Panyanda hotels, Ritz Night Club in Masvingo and Fairmile Hotel in Gweru were served with letters terminating their contracts last week.

Chief executive officer Mr Fredrick Kasese and all other lower level employees like gardeners were sent packing.

“We were given three months’ notices and no one was spared from the CEO (Mr Kasese) to the lowest ranked employee. We are in a quandary right now because we do not know what to do,’’ said one of the workers.

Zvobgo Holdings director Mr Eddison Zvobgo (Jnr) defended the decision saying it was lawful.

“We are following the law in whatever we are doing and the move that we took is part of a restructuring exercise aimed at removing pressure off our wage bill,’’ he said.

“We need to take decisions that are in the interests of the company and that is why we are restructuring. The restructuring exercise is very necessary and normal and I do not know why people are making a lot of noise about it.’’

Mr Zvobgo, however, said Regency Hotel Group was not closing shop.

ZFTU secretary-general Mr Kenias Shamuyarira yesterday described the indiscriminate dismissal of employees as a capitalist conspiracy bent on causing anarchy in the country.

He said the dismissals were tantamount to abuse of the law and a miscarriage of the interpretation of the law.

ZCTU president Mr George Nkiwane said the situation was not pleasing.