By Own Correspondent

THE Hwange Colliery Company Limited (HCCL) is embroiled in a bitter dispute with at least 100 former employees over the non-payment of gratuities backdated to 2020 despite the matter having spilled to the Labour Court.

This matter recently arose in Parliament when Hwange East legislator Joseph Bonda asked for a progress report from the Mines and Mining Development ministry regarding the matter.

Indications are that at least 100 former workers at HCCL are yet to be paid their gratuities 25 years after they retired or were retrenched.

Bonda asked to government to explain to the National Assembly how it will resolve the issue of the pensioners’ gratuities.

“I request the Minister of Mines and Mining Development to brief the House on measures taken by the government to ensure the payment of pensioners’ gratuity by Hwange Colliery from the year 2000,” he said.

Mines and Mining Development deputy minister Polite Kambamura, in his response, said Hwange Colliery was a company quoted on the Zimbabwe and London stock exchanges, which was under reconstruction.

“Considering this, it is not proper to sell the company’s shares since the workers are part of the parent company, given that it is a listed company under administration,” he said.

However, Bonda was not convinced with Kambamura’s response and went on to further interrogate the minister over the status of the pensioners’ payments.

“My question is, prior, there were shares that were sold to workers and what is the position of the workers on those shares that were sold to Hwange employees, were they paid for those shares or they are still available? I want to know about the percentage of those shares.”

However, Kambamura maintained that Hwange Colliery was under administration and referred the question to the ministry of justice.

“So, I want to refer that question to the Ministry of Justice,” he said.

HCCL and the pensioners have been involved in lengthy talks over gratuities resulting in the former workers approaching the Labour Court to force the company to pay.