The prestigious Avenues Clinic in Harare has begun a retrenchment exercise that will result in the layoff of 50 employees, according to insiders, who allege that this move is aimed at targeting unionised workers.
The private, multi-disciplinary hospital, a flagship facility of Medical Investments Limited (MIL), now risks being drawn into a major labour dispute.
Sources close to the developments told NewZimbabwe.com this week that the exercise appeared “highly questionable.”
Follow us on WhatsApp | LinkedIn for the latest headlines
“A total of 50 workers have since been served with Notices to retrench by the employer. Finer details on the reasons behind the job cuts and terminal benefits to be paid remain unclear. What boggles the mind is that the workers have since been placed on paid leave while the organisation has moved swiftly to replace some of the targeted workers,” one insider said on condition of anonymity.
Another source alleged that the retrenchments disproportionately affected staff who were members of trade unions.
“Over and above all these shortcomings, we need to understand why the company has hurriedly replaced the affected workers in some sections, while others have been replaced through outsourcing services like cleaning. Among those recruited recently are allegations that they were warned against being unionised as a condition of service,” the source claimed.
The affected employees are now expecting a reasonable termination package as they argue that the employer’s decision has nothing to do with the inability to pay salaries.
When contacted for comment, MIL general manager Sibusisiwe Ndlovu neither confirmed nor denied the allegations, instead referring NewZimbabwe.com to the internal communications department, which had not responded by the time of publication.
However, a letter seen by NewZimbabwe.com, dated September 16, 2025, and signed by Ndlovu, confirmed the institution’s decision to retrench some staff. The letter, addressed to one affected employee (name withheld), reads in part:
“We wish to advise you that your position has been affected by the restructuring exercise, therefore, you are among members of staff who will be retrenched. The intended retrenchment will take effect from the fourteenth day after the date of receiving this letter.
“Engagements with you shall commence soon, and it is our hope that a retrenchment agreement will be reached to facilitate an expeditious conclusion of this in a manner which is fair and transparent.”
Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters
Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox
