Harare — COMPANIES facing viability problems have laid off more than 2 000 workers this year while others have gone for over two years without paying severance packages to those retrenched, the Parliamentary Committee on Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare heard on Monday.

Giving oral evidence before the committee, the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions said some labour disputes were taking long to be resolved while others were being disposed when the concerned worker was dead.

"So far this year 2 616 workers have been retrenched by 194 companies," said Mr Elijah Mutemeri, the co-ordinator for the ZCTU.

"Some companies are not paying off retrenched workers and some have gone for up to two years without being paid."

Mr Mutemeri cited troubled textile giant David Whitehead as one of the companies that had not paid its workers since January this year.

"David Whitehead retrenched 579 workers and they haven't received salaries from January to date," he said.

Mr Mutemeri also said some companies were deliberately not paying workers for months before applying for retrenchment orders.

"Some companies deliberately do not pay for three to four months then apply for retrenchment.

"Workers will then have to deal with two issues, that is the overdue salary at the Labour Court and retrenchment package at the retrenchment board.

"Some retrench 500 workers and go on to hire 1 000 contract workers while others want to pay workers in Zimbabwe dollars," he said.

He said the retrenchment board should be strengthened to ensure that it deals with errant companies that were deliberately failing to pay retrenched workers.

Mr Mutemeri said some companies did not bother to officially inform their employees if they were to close down but simply lock them out without notice. "Some workers come to work and find gates locked with only the security guards telling them to go home," he said.

ZCTU legal advisor, Mr Zakeyo Mutimutema, urged Parliament to amend labour laws to ensure that the rights of workers to strike and engage in collective bargaining were guaranteed.

"The labour laws should be amended because we need to give workers their full rights to strike and collective bargaining," he said.