Source: Colliery employees’ wives threaten demo – Sunday News January 28, 2018
Dumisani Nsingo, Senior Reporter
WIVES of employees of the country’s biggest coal mining concern and Matabeleland region’s biggest employer, Hwange Colliery Company Limited (HCCL) are reportedly mulling to stage a demonstration against the company’s management over non-payment of salaries to their spouses.
The wives are also not happy that the company breached a contractual agreement of a partial monthly disbursement of outstanding wages to their spouses. Sunday News learnt that the latest development come after the company informed its workers last week that their remaining 50 percent salary for November and December had been “ring fenced” for onward disbursement with their dues for January to paid in February.
HCCL has been paying its workforce 50 percent of their salaries since the beginning of last year and in June the company managed to pay seven percent of the employees’ 36 months’ outstanding dues. Last month, the company managed to pay the allotted 2,6 percent monthly payment as per the Scheme of Arrangement.
The source said the company was still to pay the workforce their 50 percent salaries for the month of November and December last year.
“We were also told that our salaries for November and December had been ring fenced and that we will receive our January salaries in mid-February”.
Information coming from Hwange yesterday reveals that fed up by the non-payment of workers, wives of the employers have suggested to demonstrate against the management. However, the demonstration which was said to be scheduled for today is said to have been shelved as local police requested to meet the organisers before the protest.
The damning notice further states that the wives are even prepared to stop their children from attending school and join them in the protest.
“It’s pointless for our kids to go to school on empty stomachs”.
It also states that opencast employees should not proceed beyond the boom gate tomorrow in solidarity with the wives’ cause.
Efforts to speak to the management were not successful.-@DNsingo
COMMENTS