RioZM Forces Striking Workers to Return Without Pa...

RioZM Forces Striking Workers to Return Without Paying Wages

Witness Runodada

Zim Now Reporter

As the worker strike entered its 17th day, tensions between employees and the management of Rio ZM intensified, following what workers are calling a “forceful and manipulative” attempt by management to break the strike.

On July 24th, each employee received an individual letter from management bearing the subject line: “Instruction to Return to Work.” The letter, signed by the Acting Superintendent of Engineering, stated, “You are hereby instructed to return to your normal place of work and resume your normal duties with immediate effect from the date of this letter.” The directive did not address the workers’ core grievance, the non-payment of wages since March 25, 2025.

Workers say the letters are not only coercive but also dismissive of their long-standing concerns. “We’ve gone months without pay. How do they expect us to survive, let alone show up to work as if nothing is wrong?”

The letter, marked “Private and Confidential,” warned employees that failure to return to work would be seen as insubordination. “Failure to report for duty will be treated as a breach of your contract of employment,” it read, effectively threatening disciplinary action.

Workers claim that the company is using legal intimidation to force them back into production, rather than engaging in meaningful dialogue or addressing the unpaid wages. “Instead of paying us what we’re owed, they went to the Labour Office in Zvishavane and tried to make it look like we’re refusing to work without cause,” said the source