The Sunday News
Belinda Moyo, Online reporter
FORMER TM Pick n Pay supermarket employees in Bulawayo who are alleged to have been dismissed unprocedurally protested on Thursday causing the shop to temporarily shut down.
Eight former workers accompanied by a group calling itself Amavikelambuso Association which claims to stand for justice and fair treatment for workers made a barricade at the shop entrance, saying they were not going to move until the management rehired the former workers.
“We are not going anywhere until they address us and make a decision that we are satisfied with. We were not given any notice or any reason for the dismissal. We were just given a paper which stated that ‘you have to take two months unpaid leave’ and after two months when we came back to work they told us that our positions had been filled,” said Miss Seji Ncube, who said she has been working for TM for 15 years.
Miss Sindisiwe Sibanda, one of those who were dismissed said that she has been working for the giant retail story for two years and lost her job the same way as Miss Ncube.
Amavikelambuso Association chairperson Mr Mthobeki Ncube told this publication that one of the former employees approached them about their issue.
“We are apolitical neither are we tribal. We are an association that advocates for justice for workers. We are here to get the side of the story from the branch manager,” he said.
There were also unconfirmed social media reports that those who replaced the fired workers were not locals. Efforts to get a comment from the branch manager were unsuccessful. Police had to be called in to restore order.
