BY SILAS NKALA THE Zimbabwe Diamond Mineral and Allied Workers Union (Zidamwu) has petitioned RioZim Limited group of companies over last year’s unpaid bonuses.
Workers also accused RioZim of delaying payment of salaries, and threats to the workforce, among a cocktail of other allegations.
In a letter, Zidamwu secretary-general Justice Chinhema wrote: “We write on behalf of our members at your mines, Empress Nickel Refinery (ENR), Cam and Motor Mine and the Dalny Mine in Kadoma. You may recall the several meetings we had between mine managers and the respective human resources personnel at your different locations aforesaid. You may also acknowledge that issues have been ventilated and several resolutions were made.
“In particular, in December 2021, we agreed on payments of back pay and salaries that were due. In January 2022, in respect of Cam and Motor, and ENR, parties signed a certificate of settlement before the labour officer after a dispute that nearly accumulated into job action.”
Chinhema said in April this year, they had a meeting with workers at Renco Mine to avoid collective job action, but the issues raised by workers were not resolved, resulting in court litigations.
He said RioZim was ready to implement the no-work-no-pay principle, yet it was not paying its workers.
“All the workers at your different mine stations have agreed that they cannot continue to live in this prison-like employment set-up, to the extent that some are even suggesting that Renco Mine be re-named to Renco Open Prison. The plan now is to embark on a countrywide collective job action,” Chinhema wrote.
He said employees, at common law, had a right to withdraw their labour because the RioZim mines were producing gold and other precious minerals, yet they lived miserable lives.
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“Kindly write to us within seven days hereof and update us on how you would have resolved the issues, not proposals, but resolutions,” he added.
RioZim is yet to respond to the Zidamwu letter.
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