MANAGEMENT at retail clothing chain, Powersales, in Bulawayo is at loggerheads with its employees after it decided to offset their outstanding three-month salaries with sewing machines.
The company faces stiff competition from informal traders who smuggle goods into the country for resale at cheap prices.
Informal traders do not have to bear any operational costs compared to formal shops as they set up their stalls in street pavements.
Powersales workers told Southern Eye on Sunday that the management owes them salaries backdated to July this year.
They said management made a decision to give them sewing machines recently each to offset their back pay without their consent.
One of the workers said they feared that they would go home empty-handed as the company has hinted at closing the remaining branches.
“They have literally closed after deciding to send us home for six months unpaid leave, but they owe us salaries backdated to July,” a disgruntled employee said.
“They decided to give all of us one sewing machine each to offset the balances.
- Power Sales workers fume over salaries
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"We are supposed to be getting US$110 per month and each machine costs about US$280.”
In March this year, the company served a number of its workers at the Belmont factory in Bulawayo with retrenchment notices reportedly without clarity on their benefits.
They refused to leave company premises to try and press for the repayment of outstanding wages.
“Their thinking is that they are now done with us,” another disgruntled employee said.
“This is actually unfair labour practice.
“They are now selling all the machines to the public and buying finished products from other companies, but not paying us our outstanding salaries.”
The disgruntled workers said they have approached the ministry of Labour to ostensibly stop what they said were unfair labour practices by their employer.
Power sales director of operations, Fanuel Mahachi, said the business was going through a rough patch
“We have so far closed six shops this year that have become unprofitable,” Mahachi said.
“We have 35 permanent workers and those with leave days go home on paid leave, but those without they go without pay.”
