Published: 05 February 2014

Disgruntled senior Agricultural and Rural Development Authority workers on Monday slept at the parastatal's head office in Harare to protest against non-payment of salaries.

The employees have gone five months without pay and management reportedly failed to address the matter, forcing workers to sleep at the head office.

A workers committee representative said about 30 employees slept in the reception area but management avoided meeting them.

"The acting Arda general manager, Mr William Mbona, refused to address us so we will continue to sleep here because we cannot pay our bills.

"Council and Zesa have cut water and electricity. We have no food to eat and our children have been sent back home for non-payment of fees. So we will not go back home until we are paid," the workers' representative said.

He said affected workers included auditors, salaries officers and those in the engineering and planning departments.

Yesterday, Mbona refused to comment on the matter.

"I cannot comment over the phone on Government issues," he said.

Last month, Mbona blamed Arda's failure to pay workers on Government.

"All parastatals have not been funded. You (The Herald) published a story showing reduced funds allocated to Arda and Cold Storage Company," he said.
- herald

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