The Industrial Relations Court (IRC) in Blantyre has ordered Press Corporation Limited (PCL) to compensate three former top executives for unfair dismissal and labour practices.

The applicants are former PCL chief executive officer George Partridge, former company secretary Bernard Ndau and former group financial controller Elizabeth Mafeni.

In a ruling delivered today, IRC deputy chairperson Tamanda Nyimba found that the PCL board among others claimed that the applicants’ salaries were too high yet the same board had raised the applicants’ salaries a few months before their retrenchment.

In an interview, counsel for the applicants John Suzi Banda said the two parties will discuss the issue of compensation.

Said Suzi Banda: “But for my clients, the issue of compensation is secondary. What is important is that they have been vindicated as they have always felt that they were unfairly treated by their employer.”

On his part, PCL lawyer Patrick Mpaka said they will review the decision of the court and decide the way forward.

The three applicants dragged PCL to court after they were dismissed by word of mouth on December 10, 2021, before they received letters of termination on January 7, 2022.

Source: Nation Publications Limited