THE Zimbabwe Banks and Allied Workers Union (Zibawu) threatened this week to expand planned demonstrations against the exiting Standard Chartered Bank Zimbabwe (Stanchart Zim) into the Sadc region, as it fights to protect rights of ‘dehumanised’ former workers of the lender.
Peter Mutasa, secretary general of Zibawu, spoke after the police last week rejected a planned demonstration by 200 bank workers at the United Kingdom (UK) embassy in Harare.
The union said it was fighting against what it claimed were ‘oppressive’ exit terms offered by Stanchart Zim to workers.
Stanchart Zim, which was snapped up by the Zimbabwe Stock Exchange-listed FBC Holdings last year, has finalised its exit from Zimbabwe after its UK-headquartered parent company, Standard Chartered Plc, divested in 2022.
This was part of a broad strategy that saw the banking giant leaving poorly performing emerging markets assets.
Units in Angola, Cameroon, The Gambia, Jordan, Lebanon and Sierra Leone were also placed on sale.
Stanchart Zim concluded in the past weeks terms of transferring staff to FBCH.
After police stopped the demonstration, it referred Zibawu to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for permission, saying “any gathering or action by your organisation at the United Kingdom Embassy without the authority of the Foreign Affairs Ministry will be deemed illegal”.
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This week, Mutasa told the Independent that the demostrations had been moved to June 14.
He said Zibawu was mobilising unions across southern Africa to conduct simultaneous actions in jurisdictions where Standard Charted Bank has operations.
“We are pursuing our agenda in multiple ways,” Mutasa said this week.
“We have made a new application to the police and Ministry of Foreign Affairs for us to demonstrate at the embassy on 14 June 2024. If the police ban it again for whatever reasons we will approach the courts because we must be allowed to exercise our constitutional rights.
“We also intend to arrange for some of our members to go and protest in democratic countries where Standard Chartered Bank is represented like in South Africa and Zambia, subject to approvals by their governments.
“We are also raising our grievances with the UK National Contact Point to resolve it in terms of the procedures in the OECD (Organisation of Economic Co-operation and Development) guidelines for multinational enterprises.
“We are also filing same complaints with the Standard Chartered Bank Speak Up Complaints mechanisms. So we just started our campaign and it will be for a long time,” he declared.
Zibawu took umbrage weeks before Stanchart’s exit was finalised and directed its members at the bank not to sign what they described as an “oppressive” ex-gratia payment deal. An ex-gratia payment is made to an individual for damages or claims, but does not require the paying party to admit liability.
“I, hereby, agree and acknowledge that the ex-gratia payment is in no way a contractual or statutory obligation of the bank nor is (it) a periodical or continuous entitlement (and nor shall it be construed as such) which will continue after the completion date,” the document read.
“I agree to unconditionally release and discharge the bank and/or the SCB Group (Standard Chartered Bank Group) in full from any and all claims, costs, expenses or rights of action, of any kind, whether contractual, statutory or otherwise (including but not limited to any claim(s) in respect of any redundancy/severance pay, gratuity award, termination payment…,” it said.
In one of their letters dated May 23, 2024 to the Officer Commanding Police Harare Suburban District seen by the Independent, Zibawu, through their lawyers, reapplied to hold a peaceful demonstration on June 14, 2024.
“At the instance of our client, Zimbabwe Banks and Allied Workers Union, a registered trade union in terms of the laws of Zimbabwe, we have been instructed to formally notify you regarding an upcoming demonstration that will be held in accordance with the provisions of the Maintenance of Peace and Order Act and Section 59 of the Constitution of Zimbabwe,” Zibawu lawyers, Makururu & Partners said.
“To demonstrate and petition the United Kingdom Ambassador regarding the dehu manising and colonial treatment of Standard Chartered Bank workers.”
The other letter dated May 28 was addressed to the permanent secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, James Manzou.
"We, Zimbabwe Banks and Allied Workers Union, a registered trade union in terms of the Zimbabwean laws write to officially inform the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of our forthcoming demonstration, scheduled to be held at the UK Embassy...on the 14th of June 2024, from 12:00 to 14:00 hours," reads the letter in part.
"In full compliance with the Maintenance of Peace and Order Act, we have duly provided notice to the police, adhering to all procedural requirements to ensure that our demonstration is conducted lawfully and peacefully."
Last week, Stanchart Zim pensioners submitted a 15-page petition to Standard Chartered Plc chief executive officer Bill Winters, raising fears their life savings “may have been looted”.
Wasim Ben Khadra, regional head of communications, Africa and Middle East at Standard Chartered Plc, told the Independent last week: “As a bank, we handle employee matters with utmost discipline and confidentiality, in full compliance with regulatory standards. We prioritise close collaboration with key stakeholders and ensure transpar ent communication with our employees throughout the process.”
