By Oliver Kazunga
Striking workers at Turk Mine have gone back to work, ending a month-long industrial action over outstanding salary arrears of about six months.
Recently, over 700 beleaguered workers at Turk Mine in Bubi district downed tools before the matter was referred to the Labour Court.
A source at the gold mining company told Business Chronicle yesterday that they returned to work on December 15 after the Labour Court referred the matter to the National Employment Council for the mining industry.
“We have not been paid our outstanding salaries despite our returning to work. The Labour Court, because the matter was not discussed at NEC level, ordered us to go back to work pending a determination by the NEC.
“During the strike we were given half salary for one month,” said the source.
Last month, Turk Mine chief executive officer Mr Jackson Murehwa said the workers engaged in an illegal strike as they did not follow procedures in the Labour Act to engage in the job action.
In an interview, Turk Mine acting chief executive officer Mr Qhubeka Nkomo would not be drawn into revealing more details but said the matter has been “resolved”.“All of them (workers) are back at work after all issues were resolved,” he said.
Citing production concerns, the gold mining concern in November last year terminated employment contracts for an unspecified number of workers on fixed term contracts while some on permanent contracts were placed on two months unpaid leave.
The mine’s management referred to the move as “Special Measures to avoid retrenchment”.
Prior to June 2017, Turk Mine targeted to produce 650 tonnes of ore from underground but failed to meet the target forcing the gold miner to revise the projection to 450 tonnes, a target which again was not met.
In June 2017, Turk Mine also did not renew contracts of about 70 fixed-term employees.
At the time, Mr Murehwa said they could not renew the contracts of the 70 workers as their contracts had expired in May after the completion of the work they had been hired for. The Chronicle
