ZBC workers, who last year demanded to meet President
Emmerson Mnangagwa over their poor working conditions, say the environment had
become toxic.
The workers wrote to Information ministry permanent
secretary Ndavaningi Mangwana in October last year seeking President Emmerson
Mnangagwa’s intervention over their welfare grievances.
Almost a year after the fiasco, the workers have written to
the ministry complaining about the deteriorating conditions of service.
"Kindly note that the employees had requested the
committee to reach out to His Excellency, but found it prudent to sincerely
engage the ministry with the hope that the issues would be resolved amicably at
ministerial level," the workers committee said in correspondence shared on
ZBC WhatsApp platforms.
"However, with the lack of tangible progress on the
raised issues, we are afraid that the employees' call for the committee to
pursue the president's route will be inevitable since the ministry has taken so
long to resolve the burning issues.”
The workers said ZBC management had not shown commitment to
implement the National Employment Council collective bargaining agreement since
October last year.
“It’s also failing or unwilling to pay the Cimas medical
aid subscriptions, with the employees and their families being turned away
daily at a time when they are also broke," the workers said.
According to the employees, committee members are now
labelled CCC activists who are inciting other ZBC employees to demand better
salaries.
“As we are fighting for a better living, take note of this;
the-powers-that-be took advantage of the elections to sell a wrong narrative to
the authorities that the worker's committee members are CCC members who are
inciting the ZBC employees to strike and sabotage both the company and
government,” the committee said.
“All communication to the workers is now coming through the
heads of departments or directors thus disregarding the workers' committee and
this is why the rest of the employees are not aware of the goings on implying a
serious information gap because that's a wrong channel.
“The executives are saying this to the minister: the
employees are satisfied and grateful enough with the salaries they are
receiving, it's only the workers' committee and a few individuals who are
making unnecessary noise and pulling in the wrong direction.”
They added: “Let's keep coming to work every day, obey your
supervisors, let's be one's keeper, let us serve the government diligently
knowing that even if all the other authorities try to paint a wrong picture of
the ZBC employees, lies have short legs and the truth shall always set us
free.”
Information deputy
minister Kindness Paradza told The Standard that the matter was private between
the employer and the workers.
"The issue of staff welfare in any organisation is a
confidential matter and should be handled privately,” Paradza said.
“ZBC is run by a board of directors and the ministry provides
policy guidance to the board.
“As a ministry we don't deal with administrative issues.”
ZBC has been accused of bias towards Zanu PF in the
coverage of political parties ahead of the August 23 elections.
CCC, which is the
main opposition party in Zimbabwe, says it is denied coverage by the
state-owned broadcaster. Standard
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