Rwanda : Factory employees complain of mistreatment

Employees of Rwanda Agri-Business Industries, a maize processing plant in Huye district in the Southern Province, have raised allegations of mistreatment and unpaid salary arrears for the last five months.

Some of the affected factory workers say that their colleagues were unfairly fired without paying any portion of their salaries. The group claims that this has been a conspiracy agenda in the factory administration begun when they continuously demanded for their pay

The group also claimed that out of the five months of working with Rwanda Agri-Business Industries, they only received one month of their dues. This, they say, has affected their livelihoods in general and accumulation of many debts around the market areas.

The traders along the plant says that they had targeted to make business from supplying the workers with food and drinks, especially once the factory construction works begin, but the current situation has posed likelihood of loss of business.

Part of the group is made up of eleven workers who say that they were hired from the Northern Province and promised to be given all the necessary requirements at the factory. This team has however demanded that they get paid and go back to the homes since life has become harder than anticipated.

Apparently, officials of Rwanda Agri-Business Industries have been adamant to comment on the claims but instead said that the alleged workers were not known by the factory administration and none of their workers was fired.

The workers are now seeking government intervention and resolving of the problem in accordance to the labor laws.