AFC Holdings employees stage protest against poor salaries, bosses’ hefty perks

Harare- THE long raging dispute between AFC Holdings (formerly Agribank) management and its employees has reached alarming levels with the latter resorting to stage a protest at the head office (Hurudza House) in Harare on Tuesday,Express Mail Zim can reveal.

A group of employees and labour activists led by the Zimbabwe Banks and Allied Workers’ Union (Zibawu) stormed the head office toyi-toying and lamenting over the state owned bank’s refusal to meet their demands for a review in living wages and renumeration , yet the management awarded themselves with huge inexplicable perks.

In an interview with Express Mail Zim at the head office , some of the placard waving employees revealed that they were proceeding to the board chairman James Prince Mutizwa’s law firm at Number 18 Weale Road in Milton Park.

“We are proceeding to Mutizwa’s law firm with our petition because our griviances have been ignored by management yet they give themselves salary increments, luxury vehicles, school fees for their kids and so on
“Its high time we voice out and we also hope that President Mnangagwa will be addressed with this matter because these people are acting against the Second Republic policies,they are sabotaging the President, ” said a Zibawu member who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Last week Zibawu secretary-general Peter Mutasa wrote a letter threatening to file a formal complaint against the bank executives and to lodge a petition with Mutizwa.

“Demand for salary increase and review of living wage is rooted in the prevailing economic circumstances characterised by severe inflation which had resulted in extreme financial hardship for the workers,” wrote Mutasa to the chief executive on a letter dated December 8.

The workers are praying for the board intervention to address their plight which management is said to ignore and flex muscles persecuting vocal staffers in an alleged divide and rule fashion.

“The management use a divide and rule style to infiltrate and purge vocal employees.

“Graduate trainees are the most abused and conduits of information to the bosses leading to victimisation of those who voice out.

‘Female graduate trainees are also sexually exploited by the senior management.

“For instance the HR manager has been at the institution for close to a decade and rose through the ranks from a mere officer to his current position and he wields his powers to intimidate subordinates especially women.

“Then there is Caroline Mozhendi the head of strategy and corporate affairs, she is part of the management team that is anti non managerial, we dont know where she gets her power from,”said our inside source who preffered anonymity in fear of reprisal.

Mozhendi could not be reached for comment at the time of writing.

The protest was held legally and the employees secured exemption to ensure compliance with the applicable legal framework and cooperation with the police.

According to employees, management awarded themselves with hefty perks and bought luxurious vehicles.

” They bought Landcruisers to the tune of USD245 000 and awarded themselves clothing ,holiday allowances and security allowances.

“Their fuel allowances range from 400 litres to 600 litres per month and huge loans of up to ZWL 800 million,”read a placard displayed by one of the employees.

When contacted for comment Tuesday,, AFC Human Resources Manager Nyengeterai Zvenyika could neither confirm nor deny the fissures in the organisation.

He requested the reporter to call with another line and did not respond to messages sent to him at the time of writing.

AFC Holdings was commissioned by President Mnangagwa in 2021.