ADMARC retrenches all staff
Agriculture Development and Marketing Corporation ADMARC has announced a full scale retrenchment of its staff effective 31st January this year.
According to a staff circular, Radio Islam has seen, ending the mandatory paid leave, says all employees will receive a letter of retrenchment within seven days.
This comes following a decision by Agriculture former minister Lobin Lowe to shut down Admarc on 1st September this year citing high levels of corruption, theft and professional negligence at the State-owned grain trader.
Currently, ADMARC says will only give three months contract to some employees especially those that worked as skeleton staff from 1st February 2023 to help with the transition.
The company says is committed to pay January salaries, Pension, and Retrenchment packages within the required period.
However, speaking to reporters after appearing before Parliamentary committee of Agriculture last year, former ADMARC Chief Executive Officer, Alexander Kusamba Dzonzi said the state-owned company will reduce its workforce from 4,687 to 1565 as part of its restructuring and government to spent close to K3.7 billion to pay idle workers.
Reacting to the development, Labor activist has described ADMARC’s decision as unfortunate considering the current economic woes the country is going through.
Luther Mambala says ADMARC should have informed its staff earlier about the retrenchment before they even went on leave so that they could be psychologically prepared.
He said with the way the news has come most of the employees may not make any meaningful development with the money.
