170 Vubachikwe Mine Workers Arrested During Demonstration Over Unpaid Salaries
More than 100 workers at Vubachikwe Mine in Gwanda, Matabeleland South Province, were arrested on Wednesday for staging a demonstration over unpaid salaries.
One of the workers who spoke to Pindula News on Tuesday on condition of anonymity said they have not been paid the USD component of their salaries for September and October.
Meanwhile, the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR) is representing 170 workers who were arrested today.
The workers are accused of failing to comply with the conditions which were set for the sanctioned demonstration. ZLHR said:
In Gwanda, we are representing 170 Vubachikwe Mine employees, arrested today for allegedly participating in a protest against their employer for not paying their salaries for the past 2 months.
Our lawyers Jabulani Mhlanga and Prisca Dube have been advised by [Police] that the mine employees will be charged with public violence.
They are accused of failing to comply with the conditions which were set for the sanctioned demonstration.
On Monday last week, the wives of the mine workers picketed outside the mine premises to demand better treatment for their husbands.
The workers engaged Gwanda-based human rights watchdog, Coalition for Citizens Advocates (COCA), to assist them.
COCA secretary Wilbert Ndiweni visited the mine on Monday where workers aired their grievances. Ndiweni told NewsDay:
In September they only got a local currency component of their salaries. Their salaries normally come in local and foreign currency (USD) in a 40 and 60% split.
Dozens of competent staff members are continuously put on forced leave and discriminatory tactics are used in stage-managed disciplinary procedures.
Demands for outstanding April and July backpay are falling on deaf ears. As we speak, the employees are not aware of when the October salary is coming.
The wives of the mine workers told COCA that they were failing to pay school fees, and medicals and afford decent meals because their husbands had not been paid.
