Vusumuzi Sifile
14 November 2009
AIR Zimbabwe has failed to pay a number of its workers their October salaries, sparking serious discontent among trade unionists who fear they are being victimised. Management at the beleaguered national carrier has blamed the crisis on cash flow problems.
But the National Airline Workers' Union (NAWU), which says 300 workers have been affected by the delays, says the move is punishment for unionists challenging a controversial retrenchment programme by the national carrier.
Unions have been challenging the proposed retrenchment that will affect 409 workers.
"The exercise is not genuine, it is meant to paralyse the union and undermine its existence," said one of the affected employees who is also a leader in the union.
"In October the company proposed staggering salaries, but it later turned out they were actually using that exercise to disfranchise workers the company wants to retrench."
On October 28, the airline notified its employees that salaries would not be paid on time.
"This is to advise all members of staff that October 2009 salaries will be delayed and staggered.
"We will start paying salaries tomorrow beginning with the lower grades.
"Communication will be done through your respective managers when your turn comes," reads the notice, signed by the company's general manager for finance and support services and authorised by group chief executive, Peter Chikumba.
The workers waited patiently for their turn for payment.
But when they got wind of reports that their colleagues in the same grades had been paid, they became suspicious and approached their managers who insisted all was under control.
"We then noticed that only those workers who had been listed for retrenchment had not been paid. These workers fall within grades A3, B1-B5, C1-C5, EN1-EN6 as well as E grade and F grade.
"We checked and realised that other workers in the same grades had already been paid," said the employee.
Since then, the workers have been shuttling between the human resources and finance offices in vain.
Chikumba was not available for comment as he was said to be attending a Zimbabwe Tourism Authority (ZTA) board meeting.
But the company's manager for strategy and economics, Nobert Machingauta confirmed they had of late faced challenges paying employees.
He blamed it on the global financial crisis which he said had led to a decline in the troubled airline's business. "The correct position is that we have simply staggered the salaries, starting with the lower grades," Machingauta said.
"Our cash inflows do not come everyday. But once cash becomes available, we pay in batches. This situation is not peculiar to us; other airlines also face the same challenges because of the global financial crisis."
Machingauta said they expected the situation to normalise next month at the peak of the festive season. "We are now getting into our peak season, which starts around December 15. After that we will be able to pay all workers on time," he said.
Air Zimbabwe has of late been battling with an array of viability problems. Surprisingly its leadership has won awards purportedly for management excellence.
The airline is among the least profitable parastatals.
A few months ago, the company proposed to retrench 409 employees, but the plan seems to hit a brick wall.
BY VUSUMUZI SIFILE Vusumuzi Sifili
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