TENDAI BHEBE IN BULAWAYO
Zimbabwe’s public transport woes are set to worsen after the Zimbabwe United Passenger Company (ZUPCO) bus drivers this week vowed to continue with their industrial action over poor salaries and working conditions, Business Times can report.
The drivers, largely from ZUPCO affiliated public transport operators in major cities, plan to intensify their strike, which began this week on Monday at Khami Depot in Bulawayo.
They said they have gone for several months without receiving their salaries.
They also said most of their buses were no longer fit to be on the roads.
“…This is a really difficult thing for us as bus drivers. Our owners are just taking advantage of us because we are poor. Just imagine the busses need repairs, they are no longer fit to be on the road. I am working for peanuts, now they are threatening us that if we do not go back to work then they will look for other people to employ. It’s just a reflection of how unfair these people are. We are tired of them,” a ZUPCO bus driver, who identified himself as Daniel Zulu, told Business Times.
Another driver, Leo Mpofu said: “Bus owners are not paying ZUPCO bus drivers enough money. We want ZUPCO bus owners to give us a raise because the money that we are being paid is meagre. The working hours do not tally with the money that we are being paid. We work from 4am to 10 pm daily which is about 16 hours without having lunch ,” Mpofu said.
He said bus drivers were being ill- treated and disrespected by their inspectors.
Mpofu said the Covid-19 allowances have been scrapped.
“So we are saying at least they should pay us ZWL$28 000 a week that’s all we ask for . They are paying us peanuts compared to what they are getting from the government,” Mpofu said.
He said each bus should have two drivers.
“They are making us work tirelessly for nothing. Another thing is the contract says they should be employing two drivers for each bus but instead because they are after money , one bus driver is expected to work for 16 hours for money which does not make sense,” Mpofu said .
Another bus driver who asked not to be named said whenever they ask for sick leave or off days they do not get paid at all.
“Some bus owners pay their drivers ZWL$1200 a day which is very little. If it happens that you get sick , or there is a funeral or you request for off days, we do not get paid for that,” he said .
Contacted for a comment, a ZUPCO bus operator, who preferred anonymity, blamed bus drivers.
“If they do not want to work, l will make sure that l find others who are willing to work for me. Please talk to the Harare region manager for more information on the issue,” he said.
Efforts to get a comment from ZUPCO operations manager Tineyi Ruswako were futile. His mobile phone number continuously went unanswered.
