BY JAMES MUTASA

Willowvale Motor Industries (Pvt) Ltd and Quest Motor Manufacturing (Pvt) Ltd companies which operate in the motor manufacturing sector finally succumb to exerted pressure from National Union of Metal and Allied Industries in Zimbabwe and allowed NUMAIZ to visit and recruit their employees.

Initially WMI (Pvt) Ltd and Quest refused to allow NUMAIZ which is the appropriate trade union to visit and advise their employees for the purpose of advising and recruiting them.

Cannan Samukange the Human resources executive director of WMI in denying NUMAIZ access to meet with the employees argued that they had downsized and there was no need for a union to organize employees who are employed on fixed term contracts.

David Dumba the Human Resources Manager of Quest also argued that the motor manufacturing department has been closed and the remaining employees are only seized with care and maintenance work.

Irked by those flimsy reasons only meant to deny NUMAIZ access to address the affected employees, the union referred the matter to the Ministry of labour in Harare and Mutare,

The Harare labour Officer Dare who dealt with the matter resolved that Samukange should permit NUMAIZ who is the appropriate trade union to visit Wollowvale Motor Industry employees.

Similarly labour officer Zisengwe who presided over the matter between Quest Motor Manufacturing and NUMAIZ in Mutare also resolved that David Dumba, the Human resources officer should give reasonable access to the trade union to visit employees at the workplace during working hours.

NUMAIZ seized the opportunity provided to them by the labour Act through the labour officers and immediately engaged employees of the two motor manufacturing companies for the purposes of recruiting and advising them.

“After a long struggle we have now officially penetrated and established ourselves in the motor vehicle manufacturing industry which is a sector in NUMAIZ,” Henry Tarumbira NUMAIZ general secretary told The Worker Newspaper.

“We have recruited a substantial number at both companies and we will continue to pursue  our intention to have a close shop agreement at all the companies like we have at AVM Africa (Pvt) Ltd another motor manufacturing company,” add Tarumbira.

“This splendid achievement of ours will automatically lead us to the revival of the National Employment Council for the Motor Manufacturing Industry,” went on Tarumbira, “the resuscitation of the NEC will means that employees in the manufacturing sector are able to negotiate their working conditions.”