The Sunday News
Cuthbert Mavheko Short Story
DESPITE the fact that Nkulumo had gone only as far as Grade 7 in his academic pursuits, his dream was to be elevated to a position of authority at his workplace. The dream had become an obsession and he had vowed to realise it at whatever cost. Since joining Chimbadzo Printers (PVT) Ltd as a machine operator in 2002, Nkulumo had observed that Mrs Xoxo, the company’s managing director always promoted workers’ committee members, particularly those who, for the proverbial 30 pieces of silver, were willing to abdicate their role of serving the interests of workers and co-operate with her in implicating harsh company policies that marginalised the majority of workers at the company. Nkulumo had realised that in order to turn his dream into reality, he had to join the workers’ committee.
When workers’ committee elections were held at the company, he was voted into office as a workers’ representative. The elections were conducted a week after Mrs Xoxo announced that the company was retrenching all permanent staff and replacing them with contract workers. Nkulumo had mobilised workers, urging them to go on strike if management did not rescind its decision to retrench workers. This had forced Mrs Xoxo to suspend the retrenchment exercise. Next, Nkulumo urged workers to pass a vote of no-confidence against Danda, the then workers’ committee chairperson, for allegedly working in cahoots with Mrs Xoxo in the aborted retrenchment exercise.
Nkulumo soon became the new chairperson of the workers’ committee. Nkulumo’s ascendancy to the post of chairperson of the workers’ committee made Mrs Xoxo uneasy. She was aware that it was him who had mobilised workers to threaten the company with strike action if the retrenchment exercise was effected. As Mrs Xoxo contemplated her next move, a plan began to take shape in her mind. The decision to suspend the retrenchment exercise did not mean that she had thrown in the towel. If anything, she had resolved to effect the exercise by hook or crook. Having decided what she was going to do, she summoned Mercy, her secretary, who was also the organising secretary of the workers’ committee.
“Please tell Nkulumo to see me at 1pm, I have important business to discuss with him,” she had said with a quiet seriousness in her voice. The previous week she had overheard parts of a conversation between Mrs Xoxo and Mr Chiokomuhomwe, the chairperson of the Retrenchment Board and she had a sneaking feeling that whatever it was that Mrs Xoxo wanted to discuss with Nkulumo was linked to the retrenchment exercise. Curious to know what the two discussed, Mercy hid a small, remote-controlled cassette recorder in the MD’s office. A couple of minutes before 1pm, Nkulumo ambled into Mrs Xoxo’s office. “I understand you want to see me, madam,” he said.
“Yes, please take a seat, Nkulumo,” Mrs Xoxo said, pointing to a chair. She then phoned the canteen and ordered two plates of rice and roast chicken. When the food was delivered, she gave Nkulumo one of the plates and said, “Mr Nkulumo, what we are going to discuss here is strictly confidential and should not be communicated to anyone else, not even your colleagues in the workers’ committee. Is that clear?” she said, in her beautifully modulated tone of voice. Nkulumo did not say anything, he just nodded agreeably. Mrs Xoxo went on: “The Company’s board of directors has directed me to retrench all permanent workers with immediate effect and replace them with contract workers. The truth of the matter is that what I offered the workers in the way of retrenchment packages is not what the directors offered. The directors are offering each retrenchee two month’s salary for every year served and a gratuity of $3 000.
“However, I offered each worker a week’s pay for every year of service to the company and a gratuity of $300 which they rejected. I want you to go out to the workers and persuade them to accept my offer. If you succeed, I will give you a bonus of $20 000 and, in addition, you will be promoted to a production foreman. Can you do this, Nkulumo?”
The news overwhelmed Nkulumo and he decided, there and then, that he was not going to let this God-given chance slip through his hands. “You can consider the job done, madam. The workers have a high regard for me and it will not be difficult to persuade them to accept your offer.”
Mrs Xoxo gave Nkulumo a long, steady look, and then smiled, “As soon as workers have accepted this offer you will be promoted and your bonus will immediately be deposited into your bank account.” She then yanked open a drawer and pulled out a document which she placed on the desk. This document, which I personally drafted, is purportedly a retrenchment agreement between workers and management. As you are aware, such agreements are supposed to be secured at works council level, in line with the country’s labour laws and regulations governing retrenchment.
However, l have decided not to involve the works council in this. I have consulted Mr Chiokomuhomwe, the chairperson of the Retrenchment Board and, for a substantial fee, he has consented to ratify this agreement provided it has your signature as the workers’ representative and mine as the employers’ representative. Now please sign here Nkulumo,” Mrs Xoxo said through a mouthful of rice.
Early the following morning, Mercy sneaked into Mrs Xoxo’s office, retrieved the cassette recorder and listened to the recording. What she heard sent tremours of shock through her and she immediately summoned all the workers to the canteen, where she addressed them: “My fellow workers, I have called you here to inform you that Nkulumo has betrayed us. Yesterday, he signed a fraudulent document that authorises Mrs Xoxo to retrench all permanent workers. Now let us all listen to this recording,” she told the workers who gaped at her in stunned disbelief. A deathly silence enveloped the canteen as the truth finally sank into their heads that Nkulumo had indeed betrayed them.
They were livid with rage and spilled out of the canteen cheering, whistling and singing protest songs. They carried placards written: DEATH TO ALL TRAITORS! DOWN WITH NKULUMO AND XOXO! NO TO RETRENCHMENT!
The workers went on the rampage, destroying company property worth millions of dollars. Nkulumo’s attempt to pour oil on troubled waters ended disastrously as the irate mob viciously assaulted him, leaving him half-dead. The riot squad was called and calm was finally restored. The company’s board of directors convened an emergency board meeting where Mrs Xoxo was promptly suspended without pay and benefits, pending dismissal for her part in the retrenchment scandal. She was also ordered to surrender all company assets, including her top-of-the-range Mercedes Benz.
