Massive retrenchment at MDC looming

Movement for Democratic change’s coffers seem to be drying up following revelations that the party is mooting to retrench its workers using the basis of the infamous 2014 Zuva ruling, Zim Morning Post has learnt.

The Zuva ruling is the 2014 Supreme Court Judgment No 43-15  which found that employers have a common law right to dismiss employees on notice.

The MDC-A has been struggling to pay salaries to its employees since 2018.

 According to the MDC workers committee, the party has gone for 13 months without paying salaries

It was agreed that the party moves to have a lean and mean secretariat at the backdrop of many months of non- payment of salaries amounting to about 13 months according to workers’ committee records. However the party decided to pay 9,5 months and went ahead and made a decision to retrench all the workers amidst the setting up of a new structure,” revealed our source privy to the goings on.

However, sources within the party said that they were given an offer to go the way of the ZUVA judgement although this time it has  been ‘doctored’ to appear fair and humanitarian

Workers have been given the ZUVA ruling spiced up with some  humanitarian considerations three months notice ,  4 weeks for each served and 90 days leave allowances .

A paltry 5% increment was factored in against a high flying inflation too much for labour backed party , the money being paid is in RTGS$ despite the fact that our contracts are in US Dollars,” added our source.

Another insider in the party president Nelson Chamisa had ‘dirty hands’  since he had a role to play in the Zuva ruling.

There is strong suspicion that he is the author of this strategy to lay off workers.

 “President (Nelson Chamisa) might be behind this strategy remember he had a role to play on the ZUVA ruling although the option they are giving us is bit spiced up,” said an insider.

The MDC recently received  $4 million from the treasury under the  Political Finance Act  and  hopes are that they use the money to cover expenses like outstanding salaries.

An effort to get a comment from the MDC proved fruitless as the Secretary General Charlton Hwende who is responsible for Human Resources did not answer his phone and party chairperson Thabitha Khumalo referred all questions  back to Hwende.

I am on my way from Bulawayo and I do not know what you are talking about try to call the Secretary General,” said Khumalo.

The development is ironic since the MDC is a labour backed party whose roots are stemmed in labour activism dating back to the then vibrant Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Union (ZCTU).