Grand Palace hotel General Manager Petros Mogos has fled the country after several workers he dismissed without any cause or explanation complained to the labour office of summary dismissals at the hotel.
Mr Mogos left the country after the workers he fired recently among them Aidah Kamwanga a waitress, Alice Mubita, a waitress and Mr Zulu, a chef, reported the hotel for unlawful dismissal.
Speaking in an interview, the group leader Ms. Aidah Kamwanga said they had decided to seek assistance from the labour office because of the way a number of there colleagues and herself have been ill treated by the hotel owners whom she said were acting as though they own the country despite originating from Ethiopia and Eritrea.
She said Mr. Mogos was summoned to appear before the labour commission on 6th February 2016 but fled the country leaving the daughter, Saloni, who has since indicated that she will meet the Labour commissioners after a second summon on13th April, 2016.
The workers complained of poor general working conditions that included below minimum wage salaries, casualisation, long working hours without bonuses and harassment of workers by management whenever they complained. Further, that they was being forbidden to join any union to safe guard their interests.
The workers added that management of Ethiopian origin supported by their Zambian counterparts had been boasting of having serious connections within the PF senior members hence no harm will come to their business even if the workers reported anywhere.
They also called for government action as losing a job without any cause or explanation was painful in the wake of escalating prices of commodities and the general high cost of living prevailing in the country.
The hotel was in December 2014 accused of slavery conditions by workers as they complained of low wages and long working hours a thing which seem to have been ignored by management as no action was taken then.
Work for Millionaire Mikalile at his hotels
PF has Made every Investor stu.pid because their Leadership is corrupt, they go around asking for donations shamelessly. on the expense of poor Zambians.
Let new Leadership come for better governance. Enough nonsense.
Prince calm down. The labor office summoned them, and good came of it. You cannot always be bitter.
This is a simple case, no need to make it political. Things are on the upswing. Let us be objective and support our relatives.
Is that hotel in Zambia? Can’t be true.
Where is this hotel exactly. Give background information when writing reports!
BA PRINCE, SO LABOUR OFFICE THAT SUMMONED THE NOW RUN AWAY MANAGERS IS PART OF UPND AND NOT PF GOVERNMENT, KAA? TAWAKWATA SANA COMMON SENSE, HAVE YOU?
“…’they was’ being forbidden to join any union…” BA LT DO YOU EDIT TO SEE HOW MANY ERRORS APPEAR IN JUST ONE PARAGRAPH OF ALL YOUR ARTICLES. THIS IS NOT LIKE THE ABOVE IS THE ONLY MISTAKE IN THIS ARTICLE- THERE ARE NUMEROUS ERRORS ONE WONDERS HOW ALL THESE MISTAKES CAN PASS WITHOUT BEING NOTICED.
I sympathise with you country men and women, but not much can be expected from our leaders because these are the investors they always take trips to go and kneel down before to come and invest in Zambia. The fear of our leaders is playing a double standards role. These people also need protection from the Govt just as ourselves need protection from the same GRZ. Otherwise the International Community will cry foul in their favour. The only remedy is for us Zambians to create jobs for our fellow Zambians and other foreigners, otherwise, this may go on without remedy (Dam Num Sine Injuria) for many more even 400 years we will still be in Egypt.
Mr Petros Moogosi Zambian, born and bred… how can he flee for simple reason like that? have your facts ba LT before you report.
close that brothel..
Is this the hotel adjacent to ZSIC flats? Some these hotels I cant even have a meeting there?
this is a simple case that can be handled by his daughter. Why flee? He cannot? Zambian workers are generally lazy. They always think the person in should do everything will clean their mess. Ask Zambians who have worked menial jobs in the USA and UK – they sweat for peanuts.
Am sure the very able relevant authorities have monitored this abominable grand situation at this Grand Palace!workers should not be dismissed at will by so called investors. For that matter from Ethiopia and Eritrea! What cheeck!!
LT poor writing skills. what kind of wrirter does not know the difference between ‘there’ and ‘their’ and also, what kind of writer make use of the word ‘thing’ to explain a situation? “…long working hours a THING which seem to have been…”, oh come on. does this online media house has an editor? what a shame to Zambia’s media fraternity. The story needs background information.
I agree 100 percent!
You have also made a mistake, it is “does this online media HAVE an editor? and not “does this online media HAS an editor?”
Is that Mogos of Red Sea investments??
THis is just a poorly written story. The reporter clearly did not investigate. What hotel owner would flee a country because employees are challenging their firing? Would you lose your million Kwacha investment for such a case? Go re-do your story ba LT
These hotels are the same. Check even Zambians owned. The issue of unfair dismissals is common. But again one of those employees has a questionable character. Anyway let justice prevail.
Located along Thabo Mbeki road behind east park mall.Just another brothel for the new PF millionaires in town.
The commissioner of labor should take this matter seriously. Its not just this hotel which is mistreating its workers but many other employers. majority of them are dead scared to report ill treatment at the hands of employers for fear losing jobs given the current situation where jobs are hard to come by. The other industry where the labor commissioner should take interest is the clearing and freight companies employees are getting peanuts as the employers in this industry do not regard qualifications. We cant allow Zambians working long hours and at the end of the day they are treated like slaves in their own country. In fact this is the only country south of the equator where citizens are mistreated yet there are laws in place. Some employers intentionally disregard our labor laws with…
Mogos Petros is a vicious Eriterian who has victimised his gracious hosts the Zambian people but also his own Eriterian nationals. Any well meaning Eriterian doesn’t associate with the Petros family altogether because of their character and because they are informers of the dictatorial regime of Isaias Afwerki.
This selfish greedy individual Mogos Petros is even wearing a police uniform as a reserve police only using it to take his ill gotten loot to the banks and to scare & intimidate unsuspecting innocent people.
Mr concerned Eritrean. i have known this family for over 30 years and i known them to be the most generous family ever. its sad you talking about them in this manner but many zambians know this family very well and all the eritrean and ethiopian young men that went through theire rank are all well to do and full of theire praises. you must be some of those full of misery and living in zambia illegally.” the less they associate with people like you, the less headache they will have”
This story is very interesting. I used to go swimming at this hotel every Sunday with my Family after church. One thing I noticed was that there were some South Africans booked in this hotel for a long time and they tooused to swim there every Sunday. I was however very disgusted to see that one of the waitresses used to frequent the room of one of the South African (This room is right in front of the Pool) and I later learnt she was having an affair with the guests cause one day the girlfriend to this guest came and started shouting at her in fullview of us the guests. For me I really think it is against hotel ethics for the working to patronize guests and wondered whether the authorities of the Hotel knew. If I saw a picture of this Ida, I will be able to identify if this is the girl in…