Source: NewsDay
More than 50 former National Railways of Zimbabwe (NRZ) workers yesterday besieged the parastatal’s headquarters in Bulawayo, demanding their outstanding dues.
Going under the Association of Railway Terminated Employees (ARTE) banner, the workers were blocked by NRZ security officers from entering the premises, where they wanted to meet the parastatal’s general manager, Lewis Mukwada.
ARTE secretary-general Ronald Kuvarega said they wanted all their outstanding exit packages, including 50% salary arrears backdated to 2012.
“NRZ owes a lot of money to its workers in outstanding pensions, retrenchment packages and outstanding salaries.
We have, on numerous occasions, tried to seek audience with Mukwada, but it seems he does not care. We want him to tell us when he is going to give us our money because we worked for the money,” he said.
Kuvarega said some of the affected workers had died due to stress, while others have developed mental disorders, as a result of losing their jobs and going home without pay.
Mukwada refused to address the former workers and delegated the company’s human resources manager, Grace Kunda, to talk to the agitated ex-employees.
NRZ, once of the most vibrant parastatals in the country, is now a pale shadow of its former self, with workers owed in excess of 14 months in unpaid salaries, while its fleet has been severely depleted due to underfunding.
Source: NewsDay