PREMIER BAKERIES MANAGER FACES DC OVER E574 900 LOSS

MBABANE – A manager at Premier Swaziland Bakeries has been taken to a disciplinary hearing for allegedly failing to manage staff and raw material in his department.

The Confectionery Manager, John Mhlongo, is alleged to have disregarded the critical nature of his duties when he allegedly failed to manage staff and raw material in his department. Through his action the company alleged that he exposed it to risk a loss of raw material (Supa Bake white and yellow margarine) amounting to E574 904 31.

Mhlongo yesterday moved an urgent application in the Industrial Court where he is challenging the manner in which the disciplinary hearing was being handled by the company. He is among other things seeking an order reviewing and setting aside the decision of the chairman that he was not entitled to legal representation at the disciplinary enquiry set for today.
The applicant (Mhlongo) also wants the court to declare that he was permitted to be legally represented at the disciplinary enquiry which the company intended to conduct.

Giving a background of the matter, Mhlongo stated that on or about February 13, 2017, the management of the company served him with a letter inviting him to appear before a disciplinary enquiry scheduled to commence today.
He mentioned that the notice further advised him that he had been charged with gross negligence.  According to Mhlongo it also advised him of his right to be represented by another employee of the company or a Shop Steward employed by Premier Swaziland Bakeries.

“May  I state that not being satisfied with the manner I was advised to seek representation for the enquiry, I instructed my attorney to write a letter for me to the company requesting that I be legally represented,” he stated.
He alleged that in response the management of the company through the Human Resources Manager Bridgette Magongo, advised her verbally that he had to move such an application before the chairman of enquiry.

He told the court that on February 23, 2017 he attended the hearing in the company of his attorney who moved and motivated the application for legal representation on his behalf. “I submit that some of the reasons my attorney submitted in motivating my application inter alia included; that I occupy a senior position that of a manager and therefore I am part of the executive of the company,” contended Mhlongo.
He claimed that another reason was that he was a non-unionised employee of the company and that there would be no prejudice suffered by the company if he was allowed legal representation.

Another basis for the application according to Mhlongo was that he could not be reasonably represented by a junior employee and or shop steward as that could allegedly hamper the presentation of defence.

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