The retrenchment affected employees from management to sales level at the Mutare branch with only five workers surviving the chop.
“This letter serves as notice of your contract of employment, in terms of section 12(4) of the Labour Act (Chapter 28:01) either party is entitled to give three months’ notice of termination of the contract of employment.
“Accordingly, your contract will be terminated with effect from Friday 20 March 2015,” reads the letter from managing director P Ellse addressed to workers committee chairperson, Edwin Marimbire, who said the workers were illegally retrenched as they were not given formal notice of termination of work and other agreed procedures were not followed.
“We were initially advised of a retrenchment exercise under a ‘mutual separation’ in February by our superiors who were supposed to have engaged every employee before retrenchment. However, this was no followed. We were served with retrenchment letters without notice or any offer letter too,” he said.
“Management did not address us properly but sent a person called ‘Daniel the messenger’ who did not produce any identification for verification but was escorted by police. They did not speak to us about our benefits and we did not have the mutual separation exercise so as to agree or sign,” added Marimbire. Long-serving employees (25 years) are being equated to those who have been with the company for less than 15 years.
Post published in: Business