Effects of Non-Payment of Mining Employees and their Survival Strategies: The Case of Hwange Colliery Company Limited in Zimbabwe

Abstract

The current study sought to unveil the effects of non-payment of employees and their survival strategies at Hwange Colliery Company Limited (HCCL) in Zimbabwe. HCCL employees have gone for over a year without receiving their salaries and wages. The study utilised the descriptive survey design. The population of the study comprised of HCCL employees and a sample of 20 employees (N=20) was selected using convenience sampling technique. The study found out that non-payment of employees at HCCL has had several effects; including; psychological effects, family separation, family conflicts, poor corporate teamwork, and diminishing family health status. The study concluded that the strategies used by non-paid employees at HCCL in order to survive included cash advance, time off for self help projects, medical benefits, food hampers and use of canteen facilities at work; were not adequate to sustain the diverse needs of HCCL employees and their families. The study recommended that there is need for the adoption of a holistic approach in order to address the chief causes of failure to pay salaries and wages by organisations and address them together with the effects of non-payment of the salaries and wages on employees and their families. The study further recommended that in order to share experiences,  future studies should include all companies in the country that are not paying salaries and wages to their employees so as to interrogate the effects of the non-payment on employees and their families as well as survival and intervention strategies.