Mugabe urged to use presidential powers to stop wave of sackings

HARARE – There is a growing chorus of calls for President Robert Mugabe to invoke his controversial presidential powers to stop companies that are dismissing workers willy-nilly following the Supreme Court ruling that firms can terminate contracts of employment upon issuing a three months’ notice.

Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare Minister Prisca Mupfumira said by tomorrow, hundreds of workers who have been sacked under the same ruling will be told of a solution to their plight.

“We have realised that companies are continuing to fire workers. The issue will also be discussed in Cabinet tomorrow (today).

“We will continue with the meetings and by end of this week we will have reached a position in terms of the affected workers. We hope we will have a win-win situation for the employees and the employers.”

Workers at Pelhams, Steward Bank, TN Harlequin and Croco Motors became the first victims of the wave of termination of contracts on notice and were being sent home empty-handed.

Econet Wireless handed letters of dismissal to several workers between Monday and yesterday, informing them to immediately stop reporting for duty since their contracts have been cancelled.

Econet said in the letter titled: “Termination of employment contract on notice” signed by chief human resources officer Innocent Magaya that the affected workers would be paid their dues on or before July 31.

“This letter serves to inform you that the business has decided to terminate your employment contract on notice,” said Magaya in the letter.

“This is not a dismissal, but rather the exercise of our right under common law which allows either party to terminate the employment contract on notice.

“Notwithstanding the effective date of the termination, you are hereby directed not to report for work with immediate effect (that is on receipt of this termination letter). Further, in terms of both your contract and the Labour Act, the company has opted to pay you cash in lieu of notice.”

Econet declined to comment on the letters.

AGS (Aviation Ground Services), which operates at the Harare International Airport, also handed letters to several workers that were signed by managing director C Mudyawabikwa dismissing them citing the same Supreme Court ruling.

The situation was the same at Mercedes Benz dealer ZIMOCO which issued letters informing some workers that their contracts had been terminated on three months notice.

“Therefore, with immediate effect, you are not allowed to enter the premises of the company except by way of appointment or when called upon to do so by the employer,” read part of the letter to an affected worker.

New Ziana reported yesterday that at least 400 workers lost their jobs after cotton processing company Sino Zimbabwe terminated their contracts using the ruling.

Security guards at the firm barred the workers from entering the company premises in Waterfalls, Harare following the termination of the contracts.

“Our employment contract with you is read with section 12 (4) of the Labour Act requires us to give you three months of notice which we hereby do,” read the termination of contract letter prepared by Sino Zimbabwe.

Speaking in Parliament during a question and answer session yesterday, Minister Mupfumira said the Supreme Court ruling came at a time Government was already looking into the labour laws with a view of amending them.

She was responding to a question without notice in the National Assembly asked by Kuwadzana East legislator Mr Nelson Chamisa (MDC-T) if Government was considering making any policy changes to cushion workers.

Mr Chamisa’s question surprised many legislators considering that he was one of the lawyers representing Zuva Petroleum against two former managers who were challenging termination of their contracts when the Supreme Court made the contentious ruling.

Minister Mupfumira said remedial action would be taken in the interest of the dismissed workers.

“We also called for a Tripartite Negotiating Forum meeting on Tuesday and we are still making consultations,” she said. “Labour issues are being attended to and remedial action will be taken.

Minister Mupfumira said the Supreme Court ruling gives a servant-master relationship between employers and their employees.