March 2007
Guard Sacked For Querying Deductions
By Perpetual Sichikwenkwe
A security guard at a security company in Lusaka has accused his supervisor of having fired him after he complained and questioned why he was deducting money from his salary every month.
Pascal Chipelembe of Mtendere East complained that a named supervisor at a named security firm allegedly unlawfully dismissed him after he complained and questioned his alleged deductions from his salary on grounds that he was his lawyer and was working in the company because of him.
Chipembele who lodged a complaint to Legal Resources Foundation (LRF) Mtendere paralegal Martha Msoni said he had been working for Safetech as a security guard for 14 years with his last monthly salary being K250,000.
Chipembele alleged that towards the December month-end, the supervisor approached him and told him that he should give him money from his salary. When he asked why, the supervisor allegedly answered that he was his lawyer and that he was working at the company because of him. He alleged that at the January month-end, the supervisor again got money from his salary without his authority or that of the company.
Chipembele said when he reported for work on January 25, 2007, he was told that his contract had been terminated by his supervisor without giving him any reasons. He alleged that when he went to get his salary from the Accounts Department, he was informed that his salary had already been taken by his supervisor. He alleged that when his supervisor was contacted over Chipembele's salary, he said it was because he was no longer an employee of the company.
When Msoni referred Chipembele to the company’s Human Resource Manager (HRM) over his complaints, the HRM allegedly sent him away on grounds that he was no longer an employee of the company.
Chipembele wants to know whether his supervisor was in order to terminate his employment in the manner he did. Msoni advised that Chipembele was wrongfully dismissed because no proper procedure was followed in terminating his employment.