BY JAMES MUTASA

About 43 security guards employed by J and P Security Services Private Limited recently enlisted the services of the Messenger of Court following reluctance by their employer to pay them their back pays amounting to US$7332.39.

“We have approached the civil court for enforcement of our certificate of settlement which was signed before the Designated Agent of the National Employment Council for the Electronics, Communications, Radio and TV Manufacturing and Allied Industries Mr. Boniface Madziwabende sometime in April 2024,” said an employee of J and P Security Services Private Limited who spoke to The Worker on condition of anonymity.

 “This adverse move (of engaging the civil court) was necessitated by J and P’s unwillingness to pay us our back pays as agreed before Madziwabende at the NEC,” added the employee.

“We were supposed to be paid in April,” went on the employee, “but it is now more than 4 months and apart from empty promises nothing has materialized.”

Part of the particulars of claim stated in the civil court summons seen by The Worker pointed out that, “the claim is for US$7332.39 or ZWG equivalent being back pays for the period October 2022 to March 2023, for J and P Security Services (Pvt) Ltd employees which were not paid by their employer J and P Security Services (Pvt) Ltd.” 

The certificate of settlement signed before Madziwabende by the security guards and their employer reads, “parties have agreed that J and P Security Services (Pvt) Ltd will pay US$7332.39 to J and P Security Services (Pvt) Ltd Rapid Response employees in two equal installments on the 5^th of April and 30^th of April 2024. The payment is in respect of back pays for the period October 2022 to March 2023.”

According to the Madziwabende certificate of settlement if J and P Security Services (Pvt) Ltd failed to pay the agreed amount within the stipulated time frame employees will approach the civil court for remedy.

The Human Resources Manager of J and P Lloyd Ruhwaya said that the employer was not refusing to pay employees their back pays but the back pays will be paid as soon as the company raises the amount needed.

Additionally, Ruhwaya said, “J and P Security Services Private limited is a company which offers the widest range of security services, from manned guarding, rapid response, cash-in-transit, recruitment and consulting investigation there is no way we can fail to pay our employees their back pays and we are going to pay them soon and very soon.”