Union of Journalists says Alpha Media voucher payments worrying

Secretary general of the Zimbabwe Editors Forum, Barnabas Thodhlana said giving journalists $100 grocery vouchers was degrading for them and urged Alpha Media Holdings (AMH) to pay journalists accordingly.  

Foster Dongozi, ZUJ secretary general, said the union is worried about what is happening at AMH. Dongozi said journalists should be given their salaries as agreed in their contracts.

Nyasha Nyakunu, senior programs manager of the Zimbabwe chapter of the Media Institute for Southern Africa, urged “ZUJ to investigate this alleged abuse of journalists.”

AMH retrenched about 70 workers in July this year following a court ruling that allowed employees to retrench workers on a three months’ notice.

Earlier this month, the publisher applied for exemption from paying retrenched staff as required by law, citing viability challenges.

Efforts to get a comment form AMH management were unsuccessful but appearing before the Retrenchment Board earlier this month, managing director Vincent Kahiya, said the company was struggling to stay afloat.

Kahiya told the board that AMH had not generated any meaningful revenue from sales and advertising since January 2014. The Retrenchment Board has asked AMH to avail to them its audited financial accounts. Voice of America (VOA Studio 7)