WORKERS in Zimbabwe have applauded government for the new retrenchment regulations, which they say are a progressive move towards protection of employees in the advent of economic hardships.
The workers said government should consistently review minimum wages to ensure the monthly remuneration is dignified.
Amalgamated Rural Teachers Union of Zimbabwe leader Obert Musaraure said the new regulations were a huge improvement from the previous ones, which stated that workers should get one month’s salary for every two years of service.
“We welcome the new law mandating companies to pay a monthly salary for every year served. This is a big improvement from the previous provision of a monthly salary for every two years served,” he said.
Masaraure said pensioners in the country were living in extreme poverty and this new law presented an opportunity for pensioners to get decent exit packages.
“For workers in the mining sector, the government should impose mandatory ownership shares to every worker employed by the company. The mineral wealth should benefit our people who work in the mining industry,” he added.
Zimbabwe Diamond and Allied Minerals Workers Union general-secretary Justice Chinhema said they wanted to see progressive laws that protected the workers and recognised their services.
“This new minimum retrenchment (package) is a painkiller we all wanted. Now we are fighting to end the issue of provision of short fixed contracts when permanent jobs are available,” he said.
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Chinhema said the new retrenchment law was an encouragement to the workers as it showed a progressive move taken by the government in favour of workers.
“We need a law that also protects contract workers from unfair termination without retrenchment packages,” he said.
Labour lawyer Caleb Mucheche said the new law was there not to worsen the situation for employers as they were allowed to apply for exemption from paying the minimum package.
“The act gives an employer who proves financial incapacity to pay the minimum wage retrenchment package leeway to apply to an employment council for that industry to be exempted from paying the total minimum retrenchment package and be allowed to pay part of the minimum,” he said.
Mucheche said the application for exemption from paying the minimum retrenchment package would not allow an employer to pay less than 25% of the total minimum package.
“In the previous Act, the workers were paid one month’s salary for every two years of service, which shows that the new Act has provided improvement for workers.”
