By Beatific Gumbwanda
CHIREDZI – As the World celebrates International Workers Day, sugar industry employees are reeling in agony following the company’s massive retrenchment exercise, leaving most workers uncertain about their future.
However, the Zimbabwe Sugar Milling Industry Workers Union (ZISMIWU) wowed to fight against the retrenchment exercise that was meant to offload almost 1000 workers from its workforce, TellZim News can report.
In an interview with ZSMIWU Secretary General, Retired Caption Faster Gono ahead of May Day, he indicated that the retrenchment exercise was flawed saying it did not corroborate with the current statutes of labor as it was impromptu and will cause a lot of psychological distress, financial strain, career uncertainty, loss of identity as well as impact on health and well-being.
“The company made a lot of profits during the colonial period when our forefathers were enslaved and forced to work on these estates. Most of the existing infrastructure was constructed for free by our fathers, making the company enjoy the massive profits they have today.
“We cannot allow a repeat of the pre-colonial period, there should be no discrimination whatsoever when treating the employees when it gets to their benefits,” said Gono.
ZISMIWU Administrator Chido Ushe said this year’s Workers Day was extraordinary considering the challenges they had faced which she said was different from yester years.
“We have been having challenges since then, but this year has been a little bit challenging. We are currently engaging different leadership to help deal with the current situation and, together with the Sugar Production Milling Workers Union of Zimbabwe (SPMWUZ), we have challenged the retrenchment process in court.
“The notice of the retrenchment indicated that it was an intention, but they had already begun serving notices of termination to employees. The process was not done properly and we will fight till the end,” she said.
Over the years, ZISMIWU has celebrated the Day in all the THZ Estates in Hippo Valley, Triangle, and Mwenezana
Every year in May, the world celebrates International Workers Day to honor the hard work and contributions of workers across industries.
It also serves as a reminder of the importance of workers’ rights and the need for fair employment practices.
