Milling workers put strike on ice: defer to two weeks’ time

14 Sep, 2014 - 06:09 0 Views
Milling workers put strike on ice: defer to two weeks’ time BAKERS INN

The Sunday Mail

Bakers Inn Bakery in Zimbabwe

Bakers Inn Bakery in Zimbabwe

Africa Moyo – Business Reporter

RESTIVE workers in the milling industry, who a fortnight ago had given a notice to strike indefinitely effective September 10, have put their planned job action on ice after Government’s counsel that the feuding parties should try to hammer out a negotiated settlement.

An industrial action by the United Food and Allied Workers’ Union of Zimbabwe (Ufawuz), a representative body of an estimated legion of 11 000 workers in the milling industry, raised fears of bread and stockfeed shortages on the local market.

Ufawuz, whose members had voted to sanction the industrial action last week, is trying to push employers to honour their commitment to effect a 5 percent salary hike, but the latter claims that a slowing economy is making it difficult to make any salary adjustments.

However, the workers maintain that if the discussions fail, they will have to continue with the strike.

Last week, Ufawuz general secretary Mr Adoniah Mutero said the strike did not go ahead as planned after the director of industrial relations in the Ministry of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare, Mr Clemence Vusani, pleaded for negotiations.

“The director of Labour, who I must say has seen that we have a genuine issue, stopped us from going ahead with the strike because he wanted to meet us and the employers so that we discuss a solution. We (Ufawuz) met him on Wednesday and he indicated that the minister wanted to meet employers in the brewing and milling industries.

“So we had to respect the director’s decision. But I don’t know if the minister (of Labour, Mr Nicholas Goche) has met the employers so that he makes his recommendations.

“If the meeting between the minister and employers does not take place, then we go on strike tentatively in two weeks’ time from now because what we are seeking is a solution,” said Mr Mutero.

He indicated that there are also simmering tensions in sectors such as meat, fish processing, detergents, breweries as well as distilling and baking — all falling under Ufawuz — that could precipitate a broad industrial action if negotiations are not favourable to the workers.

Employers in the soft drinks sector are being accused of reneging on their previous undertaking to adjust salaries by 10 percent, while those in the food processing sector, who had promised a 4,9 percent increment, are now failing to honour the agreement.

Also, while it had been agreed that no increment will be made in the meat and fish sectors, recent plans by employers to slash salaries has met fierce resistance from the workers.

Crucially, Mr Mutero claims that the general feeling in industry is that workers should withhold their labour as arbitration has failed.

Ufawuz leaders, who are tomorrow expected to meet before Parliament for a portfolio committee hearing, were expected to meet yesterday to map the way forward.

“Unless the minister (Mr Goche) reins in all the players, I see the food industry going up in smoke in two weeks’ time.

“There has generally been no increment across all sectors; the few that got increments during collective bargaining actions have not received the money because employers have appealed the judgments and disappointed employees want to shut down the whole industry.

“It is not like the employers do not have money to pay but they appear to have issues with Government and they are now trying to set workers against Government,” said Mr Mutero.

He said while Delta Corporation had given management a salary increment of between 3 percent and 16 percent, shop floor workers got nothing, adding that employers seemed bent on collapsing collective bargaining in favour of productivity-related payments.

Ufawuz believes there was connivance between employers and arbitrators to ensure that employees remain poor.

“This is purely a labour issue and I don’t know why Mr Musarara (Grain Millers’ Association of Zimbabwe chairman) is trying to smuggle political issues into this matter.

“As a federation we are not being used by anyone, but what we are basically saying is that the value of labour should be revalued periodically; more so, labour rights are provided for in the Labour Act and also clearly enshrined in the country’s Constitution,” said Mr Mutero.

Mr Musarara could not be reached for comment last week.

However, in an earlier interview he said industry will dismiss “anyone who goes on strike and replace them with contract workers”.

Mr Musarara said the milling industry would not hesitate to tap from a pool of “experienced jobless workers” that had been created after the closure of more than 50 milling companies since 2009.

Workers in the milling industry are agitating for their employers to effect the 5 percent salary increment agreed to after collective bargaining.

Though employers are pleading that they do not have the wherewithal to bankroll the commitment, they are reluctant to disclose their financial health to the workers in line with the dictates of Section 76 of the Labour Act (Chapter 28:01).

Section 76 of the Labour Act (Chapter 28:01) says when any party to the negotiation of a collective bargaining agreement alleges financial incapacity as a ground for his inability to agree to any terms or conditions, or to any terms or conditions thereof, it shall be the duty of such party to make full disclosure of his financial position, duly supported by all relevant accounting papers and documents, to the other party.

Some of the companies that would be affected once the strike takes effect are: National Foods Limited, Manyame Milling, Agrifoods, FeedMix (Private) Limited and Profeeds.

It is feared that this could create bread and stockfeed shortages if millers and bakers do not have adequate buffer stocks.

National Foods is thought to be supplying the bulk of flour to prominent bakeries such as Baker’s Inn and any shocks to production would create bread shortages.

GMAZ claims that millers have stocks that could last for four months.

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