EMPLOYEES at state-run printing firm, Printflow Pvt Limited, are gearing up for industrial action due to poor remuneration and deteriorating working conditions, the Zimbabwe Independent has learned.
Established in 1947, Printflow has grown into the country's largest printing house, producing essential materials such as maps, catalogues, financial documents, and government publications, including ballot papers.
However, the company now faces significant internal challenges as workers express mounting frustration over stagnant wages and revoked benefits. In a letter addressed to the company’s chief executive officer, David Takawira, the employees outlined their grievances, including the lack of salary increases and the non-payment of crucial allowances, such as transport and housing.
“We, the workers of Printflow, hereby give notice of our intention to engage in job action by way of sit-in after working hours, starting from the 30th September, 2024, due to the following reasons: Printflow employees have no transport and housing allowances that were scrapped by the employer in August 2020, which led to a labour dispute between Printflow and its employees,” the workers said in a notice.
“The company has since been directed to reinstate both allowances by the Supreme Court Order of January 19, 2024. There has never been a salary increase at Printflow since January 2023, thereby rendering all employees incapacitated.
“The last time Printflow employees received a wage increase was in January of 2023, and the CBA (collective bargaining agreement) then had a ‘self-adjusting’ salary scale with regard to the changing currency rates.”
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The letter blames the company for failing to fulfil its obligation to increase salaries by 48% in line with a directive from the National Employment Council (Nec).
“In January 2024, Nec had an 8% salary increase, but Printflow decided to apply for an exemption. According to the exemption certificate, Printflow was supposed to honour 4% to the employees to cushion them against the unpredictable economic environment in the country, but Printflow decided to ignore the clause in the exemption conditions, citing that the employees had previously been receiving Covid allowance that was ‘not’ due to them,” it further states.
“In June 2024, Printflow decided to scrap the same Covid allowance that had, on its own, become an income for the previous three years. The scrapping of the Covid allowance against subsuming it into basic salaries had a pronounced negative bearing on the employees, as it had signified a cushion for the paltry wages that the employees are getting.”
When contacted for comment, Takawira refused to give details, stating that it was an ‘internal matter’.
“I do not know why an internal issue would have come to the Independent. This is an internal issue that goes through the normal structures, and the processes are going on. It is not necessary at the moment. But I think you heard me; these are internal processes, and it is not necessary for it to have gone out ,” he said.
The workers said prices of basic commodities on the market have since started skyrocketing, with some having “trebled” against wages that have not been increased for more than 18 months.
“The effects have been unbearable on the employees. This again has a negative bearing on the workers, leaving them exposed to the harsh economic conditions prevailing,” they said.
The workers also demanded that their employer revokes the exemption conditions granted in January 2024 and implement the new Nec wage increases beginning August 1, 2024, since the exemption period lapsed on July 30, 2024.
Printflow’s woes are further compounded by the loss of a key contract with the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (Zec) for the printing of ballot papers, which was awarded to Fidelity Printers and Refiners in 2023.
As Zimbabwe’s economy grapples with persistent inflation and stagnant wages, Printflow’s operational difficulties threaten to escalate with the impending industrial action.
The strike could disrupt critical printing services, further straining the company's ability to fulfil essential contracts. The situation remains tense as workers await a response from management, with the potential for significant disruptions looming.