Hundreds of workers at Classic Knitwear in Madagascar are said to be fighting against arbitrary technical unemployment – an enforced three-month unpaid leave imposed by the company, during which a worker cannot change employer.
The company, based in the country’s capital Antananarivo, blames a reduction in orders for the decision.
The dispute began on 11 December last year, when 263 workers were told they were on leave for 30 days followed by technical unemployment from 8 January to 5 March 2018.
Classic Knitwear is represented by the IndustriAll Global Union affiliate Syndicalisme et Vie des Sociétés (SVS), which says the national labour inspectorate approved the company’s decision without a proper investigation of the causes of the situation.
The move means workers will remain in an unconfirmed status for at least 30 days and will then face a “zero contract” situation for at least another two months, during which time they will have no income and will be unable to search for a new job.
With the employer refusing to pay for leave or unemployment, the workers have tried – unsuccessfully – to resolve the issue through labour reconciliation.
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By GlobalDataAs a result, they have gone on indefinite strike. They are calling for payment of the remaining part of their salary, including leave allocation and a non-refundable safety monthly payment equal to MGA200,000 (US$62) and the guarantee of a return to work on 5 March 2018; or an end to their contracts with all due payments.
The SVS union is urging government representatives, namely the labour inspectorate and minister of labour, step in to settle the problem.
