Thursday, March 28, 2024
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Factory workers face axe

Business

Mafa Moleko

About 2 500 textile workers are on the threshold to facing unemployment after the Nein Hsing boss threatened to retrench more labours.  

This is according to the Deputy Spokesperson of the United Textile Employees, Potloloane Monare who said that the manager at Nein Hsing, a Chinese owned company, contemplates on axing more employees in the name of bad business which he said he no longer receives orders. This propelled the employees to rage in fury and approached the Labour Court to intervene in the matter.

The employees who flocked at the Labour Court yesterday demanded the court to twist the hand of their employer to furnish them with documents of the company to prove if truly the company does no longer receive orders.       

He said the employees asked the Labour Court not to allow the employer of Nein Hsing International to finalise his decision of retrenching workers. He said they want the employer to give out the written agreement between him and his buyers.

He said their desire is to confirm if Hsing is indeed running out of orders. In this application the Union has also pressed charges against Independent Democratic Union of Lesotho (IDUL) and National Clothing Textile and Allied Workers Union.

“These two Unions were also mentioned in the applications so that they should realise that we have made a request and they should not join the meeting which will finalise the closing of the textile shop,” said Monare.

Monare said Hsing who declined to talk to media, claims that giving out the documents will be interfering with his confidentiality because those documents are between him and the buyers only.

He further noted that their suspicion is that the employer is trying to dodge the upcoming wages that might be increased. He added that it is the second time Hsing tries to escape.

He said he tried to close three of his textiles before but the employees cordoned his endeavours. “He first wanted to close C&Y and Global and we hindered that from happening because a lot of people were going to suffer,” he said.

Monare further explained that the employer was contemplating a close of shop and reopen after three months, but the unbending employees suspect that it might be how he works to keep the workers’ salaries low.

“If the employer keeps the employees under a period of one year they only have to be given M1900.00 and if they worked for a year and above they earn M2120.00 according to the gazette,” he said.

Monare further explained that they heard from the Union in America called WLC that buyers are still buying from this employer and that he turned down some orders.

He said that the employer claims that he is closing every department in his shop hence discharging 2 500 people. On the same note, Hsing and his lawyers did not want to respond to the allegations made against them.

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