Talent Gore
LAWYERS representing Home Support Services director, Gladys Chingoka, have dismissed claims being made by disgruntled employees that the company is allegedly fleecing and mistreating them.
Mawonera Attorneys said the company did not run two pay slips and paid the employees according to the provisions of their contracts.
Some of the employees, according to the company, get an annual wage of £20 480, which is about £1707 per month.
According to the lawyers, fully furnished accommodation is even provided to the employees and no complaints of such a nature have been raised.
The lawyers said Chingoka was not in Zimbabwe to recruit more workers but had returned home to attend to a family bereavement.
None of the care firm’s workers, according to the lawyers, applied for asylum.
The lawyers were also not happy that Chingoka’s family photo, which also featured her children, was used in an article carried in this newspaper last week.
A contract of employment, provided by the lawyers to H-Metro, indicates that normal working hours were 39 hours per week.
“Your normal hours of work are 39 per week, to be worked any day between Mondays to Sunday with a one-hour unpaid break each day,” the contract reads.
“Your normal hours are not variable, however, you may be required to work additional hours when authorised and as necessitated by the needs of the business.
“Actual start/ finish times will vary in accordance with the rota which will be made available one week in advance and you may be required to undertake working nights as well as sleep in shifts, as required.”
“Employees are entitled to 11 hours of daily consecutive rest. However, this does not apply in relation to shift workers who cannot take a daily rest period between the end of one shift and the start of the next one.”
The contract also says in these circumstances, an equivalent compensatory rest period must be agreed at the convenience of the employer and the employee.
“Night duty hours must not exceed 8 hours in 24 hours, and this is averaged over a standard period of 17 weeks.
“Where continuity of service or flexibility is required, individual agreements between you and the Company must be reached if night hours are to exceed this limit.
“In these circumstances an equivalent rest period should be agreed at the convenience of the employer and the employee.”