Barely two days after the Supreme Court ruled that workers can be fired at anytime without any retrenchment cash, an expulsion bomb hit Zimbabwe’s workers countrywide at the weekend with hundreds being told to go home soon after the passing of the verdict on Friday.
The Supreme Court passed the judgment three days ago which now allows employers to terminate workers’ contracts any time without offering them packages by merely giving them three months’ notice.
While the exact number of people relieved of their jobs at the weekend was not revealed, Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare Minister Prisca Mupfumira spoke out raising the alarm as she added that there is need to settle on corrective legal options to safeguard workers from being sacked willy-nilly and empty-handed by their employers.
Mupfumira quoted by the State Media said “the ministry is already receiving numerous complaints from workers whose contracts of employment have been terminated on notice since the court ruling.”
She said its is clear that the judgment has already opened a floodgate of termination of employment on notice, resulting in numerous workers unfairly losing their jobs.
The discussion was held on the Zimbabwe Policy Dialogue Institute where some analysts said termination on notice improves productivity.
But others led by Human Rights Lawyer Jeremiah Bamu contended saying “termination of employment must have a cause and not done willy nilly because that creates job insecurity and in the long run becomes a national burden because more and more people lose employment and become dependants when they are yet able-bodied.
“Termination on notice does not require cause to exist. Mere notice is sufficient. On the other hand, employees owing allegiance to their employers and the need to increase productivity is a separate issue altogether,” said Bamu.
But another lawyer argued the opposite saying, “employers do not employ in order to fire willy-nilly.
“They employ in order to attain their objectives.When a reason to terminate employment arises, employers should have the right to terminate.This should have nothing to do with the length of service.
“While from an employee ‘s perspective long service should come with “benefits”, conversely, the employer can as well say long service means the employee should be grateful for having been paid for many years.
“Kingstons collapsed because one (1) employee obtained an outrageous arbitral-award and attached all the assets of the company.The rest of the employees suffered as result.Our labour practices were just archaic and retrogressive.”
4 Replies to “Expulsion Bomb Hits Workers, Terror Grips Zimbabwe”
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So all the noise that Prisca Mupfumira has been making recently vis-à-vis the revision in the frequency of the enchment Board meetings has been overtaken by the Judges’ ruling and come to nought. She must work over time to come up with amendments to the Labour Act, otherwise every employee in Zim becomes a temporary or casual employee to be fired at the whims of the employer.
At least its a warning to those employed, make hay whilst the sun shines.The civil servants are already doing it within their industries,demanding bribes,stealing and corruption.
So to those who are fond of being employed for ever you better wake up and start making hay.
Chidyausiku and gang only interpreted the law as is.If u look at the Labour Acxt its full of flaws which the Ministry of Labour should amend Chop chop.
But if u notice always if they is case against a ZANU pf company funny judgements are granted and loopholes in our statutories starts being revealed.
Good Luck to all employees.Pamberi ne vendor,pasi nevatengesi!!
What’s new about this Supreme Court ruling? Have you not observed that ZANU-PF is re-introducing colonial policies with vengeance?
Kana musati mazviona, hapana chamuchazowona munyika yedu. Munofa muchindochema pasina recourse.
the cause will merely be the the supreme court ruling, thats the mere cause the emplyer will need to dismiss employee. this is means there is no long ”permanent employee but all employment contracts duration are only secretly known by the employer and the employee can only be assured of the 3 months. this means there is no longer any point or need to challenge any unfair dismissals by employers because such challenges will be mere academic because should you win your unfair dismissal case, you return to work and find a supreme court sanctioned notice of termination at the reception waiting for you. the only sure way to keep your job is to lick your employer’s ass on daily basis. this is what happens when the Judges are also employers as you are the Chief Justice and the Secretary of the Judicial Service Commission are the employers of all courts stuff countrywide, all the courts stuff in their thousands who were formerly under the Public Service Commission. The Judicial Service Commission Chairman, Chief Justice Chidyausiku and Secrterary Rita Makarau were handling lots of labour disputes administratively as employers and were also being sued in one of their courts the Labour Court, so this ruling could be provide them with easy task to administer thousands of their stuff and easily deal with their employees. with this ruling, as employers they know every employee is their mercy. this is what happens when Judges become employers and cease to be employees themselves! ZIMBABWE YAUYA!