The Industrial Relations Court (IRC) on Thursday granted a temporary relief to at least 13 employees of the Green Belt Authority (GBA) who were dismissed in October last year following a personnel audit.

The court granted an order to the expelled employees restraining the authority from terminating their employment pending final disposition of the matter.

Chidzungu: They came preaching disorder and
wanting to manhandle other people

Lawyer for the expelled staff, Felix Tambulasi in an interview yesterday said the court also ordered GBA to pay them their wages/salaries from November last year until the matter is determined.

Said Tambulasi: “In essence, the Green Belt Authority has been ordered to recognise them as bona fide employees until the matter is concluded.”

According to an order of relief granted by IRC chairperson Austin Msowoya, dated February 2 2023, GBA is at liberty to file motion inter partes to vary or vacate the order on a showing that it is irregular or, for any justifiable reason, ought not to have been made.

However, there was drama at GBA headquarters in Lilongwe yesterday morning when the expelled staff attempted to access their offices when they reported for duties.

A representative of the reinstated staff George Matipwiri said in an interview they reported for duties they found the offices locked, with nobody to attend to them.

“Even though the court order is there, by their conduct, management is not admitting us. Apparently, they are defying the court order because they have all gone out deliberately and locked all the offices, so we are not attended to. We have talked to some of them over the phone but to no avail,” he said.

Matipwiri, who was the human resource and administration manager, said they had notified their legal counsel about the sad scenario.

But GBA chief executive officer Eric Chidzungu, in a separate interview, while confirming ordering the shutting out of offices alleged that the sacked employees were violent and rowdy.

“This is a legal matter, and GBA being a government entity, the matter is currently being handled by the Ministry of Justice. But the truth of the matter is that they came preaching disorder and wanting to manhandle other people.

“They were shouting in the corridors and threatening people while demanding keys to their offices and vehicles as well as their three months’ salary right away.

“So I, as CEO, have the responsibility to make sure that there is order at the office as well as protection to life and government property. So, for safety’s sake, I told them that they cannot work in that environment but to go home because the place was no longer an office environment,” explained Chidzungu.

The 13 employees, who took the matter to court, were part of 28 workers the board of directors dismissed on allegations that they were recruited irregularly. The authority conducted a personnel audit in response to issues on recruitment at GBA that the Public Appointments Committee of Parliament raised following the 2019/2020 national audit report.

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