CSC employees demonstrate

CSC employees demonstrate
Published: 26 May 2014
Employees at meat processing firm, Cold Storage Company (CSC) last Friday staged a demonstration demanding their outstanding salaries.The employees claimed to have last received full salaries in 2009.

When a Chronicle news crew visited the company premises, angry employees were found  gathered  around the human resources manager's  office vowing  not to leave until they got their  outstanding dues.

Most of the workers claimed they were owed about $10,000 in unpaid salaries spanning over three years.

Workers said they were paid $15 on Wednesday and promised that they would be paid the remainder of their salaries last Friday.

When the news crew left at 5pm, employees were still waiting for feedback from management.

One of the workers, Godfrey Tigere, who has served the company for 35 years said workers were suffering and something must be done to alleviate their plight.

"How can someone live without being paid? We work every day but the management says there is no money to pay us, that's unacceptable,” he said.

He said a fortnight ago they had slaughtered some cattle from Botswana, which they were made to understand would cater for their salaries but this had not materialised.

The Zimbabwe-Botswana cattle deal has helped in boosting operations at the struggling company. In July 2011, Zimbabwe and Botswana signed a memorandum of understanding  allowing for the importation of cattle for slaughter at CSC.

"We call on the government to help us. Last time we asked to see the minister but management refused. What are they hiding?” asked Tigere.

Other employees said there was need for new management altogether.

One worker who identified himself as Jose said the management had expensive vehicles and each time they asked for their dues, management calls police claiming they were riotous.

"We are tired of promises. They should give us our money. Every time we demand our dues we are threatened,”  he said.

Some of the workers are said to be squatting at the company premises as they had been evicted from their lodgings.

CSC chief executive officer Ngoni Chinogaramombe said he could not comment as he was not in office.
- chronicle
Tags: CSC,

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