NCA alarmed by planned Harare City sackings

HARARE – The National Constitutional Assembly (NCA) says it is “alarmed and angered” by reports that the MDC-T dominated Harare City Council intends to fire more than 3000 workers following last months Supreme Court ruling that employers only needed to give three months notice to terminate contracts.

“As NCA party it’s our hope that the media reports on the intended dismissal of council workers is not true. If it is true we call upon the responsible authorities to stop it. If it is true we condemn the MDC-T unreservedly.

“How can an opposition party that still wants to be regarded as labour backed even contemplate such a move when the whole country is focusing its efforts on reversing the effects of the dismissal of 20 000 workers?

“Only last night MDC-T MPs in parliament were mourning the dismissal of 20 000 workers during the debate on the labour amendment bill. This is worse than hypocrisy if it is true that the MDC-T dominated Harare city council is planning to dismiss 3000 workers,” the NCA said in a statement seen by Nehanda Radio.

“NCA party is calling upon the Harare city council to explore other ways of cutting costs such as reducing the huge salaries and allowances being paid to the top well known corrupt management. It is unacceptable for any employer to use the dismissal of workers as the first option to deal with any challenges.”

Meanwhile the MDC Harare Province has issued a statement declaring that wishes it will not allow the MDC-dominated council to fire “even a single employee in line with the recent Supreme Court ruling. The party, through the province, has since directed the council not to engage in the needless retrenchment of employees in compliance with the court ruling.”

Eric Murai, the Provincial Chairperson said “It is the MDC, a pro-workers party, that deployed these councillors to serve all ratepayers in the first place and we will not allow them to be complicit in the Zanu PF ploy to fight and fire workers on notice in an arbitrary and insensitive manner, without any packages or benefits.

“In any case, it is individual councillors as chairpersons of council committees that had purportedly resolved to fire the 3 000 workers. Certainly, the decision of a few individual councillors cannot be allowed to prevail on a momentous issue of such magnitude in the absence of the convening of a full council,” Murai added.