ZIMBABWE Broadcasting Corporation (ZBC) workers have written to Information ministry secretary Ndavaningi Mangwana seeking an audience with President Emmerson Mnangagwa over several grievances, among them low salaries.
In a memo copied to the chief director (government programmes and messaging) Jonathan Gandari on Thursday, the ZBC workers said they sought Mnangagwa’s intervention after previous unfruitful efforts to have their grievances attended to by Information minister Monica Mutsvangwa and Mangwana.
“ZBC employees have since declared incapacitation and are requesting your office to facilitate a meeting with the Head of State to hand over a petition and highlight several issues that have been affecting them,” the memo read.
“This comes after months of requests by employees to meet the first citizen, delayed by the ZBC workers committee with the hope that a long-lasting solution would be found for the problems bedevilling the corporation and employees.”
Some of the grievances include victimisation, ZBC’s failure to comply with the National Employment Council on minimum salaries and pension, five months outstanding COVID-19 allowances, poor working conditions and the general collapse of standards at ZBC as well as a poor working relationship with chief executive officer Adelaide Chikunguru.
When contacted for comment, Gandari said: “I am driving from Inyanga, but the long and short of it is that there is a meeting starting at 5pm today (yesterday) which will be attended by the secretary and the media services director.
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“Resolving or exploring the issue will come out of the meeting. If everyone is really into resolving, it will be resolved. You can check with them after that meeting.”
Mangwana was not reachable on his mobile phone.
ZBC, which is 100% owned by government, has been largely condemned by critics for reportedly being pro-Zanu PF in its news coverage.