KARONGI – Some employees of American Refugee Committee (ARC) have threatened to down their tools if their boss continues harassing them. Workers at the non-government organisation which supports Congolese refugees at Kiziba Refugee camp in Karongi District, have issued a 14-day ultimatum to quit if the problem is not addressed.
KARONGI – Some employees of American Refugee Committee (ARC) have threatened to down their tools if their boss continues harassing them.
Workers at the non-government organisation which supports Congolese refugees at Kiziba Refugee camp in Karongi District, have issued a 14-day ultimatum to quit if the problem is not addressed.
The workers accuse their boss, Ricardo Vieitez, of improper conduct and breach of contract.
In a letter dated January 23, 2012, a copy of which The New Times has obtained, the workers accuse Vieitez of 14 counts of misconduct and unruly behaviour.
They complain that employees are forced to work 24 hours a day, while others work for extra hours without pay.
"We end up being overworked, and when the next day one appears to be tired, most times you are dismissed from work,” the letter reads in part.
It also says that Vieitez does not treat the workers equally as he awards unnecessary promotions and demotions in equal measure. He assigns anyone tasks even if they do not conform to their job description in the employment contract, the letter alleges.
"Sometimes drivers are deployed as night guards. For him, a builder can work in the kitchen as a cook yet this is unacceptable under the law,” says the letter.
They alleged that Vieitez uses abusive language aimed at harassing workers.
One of the workers who declined to be mentioned in order to speak freely, said that at one time, during a daily morning staff meeting, Vieitez called one of them a "stupid fat guy”.
"I remember also of another incident when he told one of us that he must have killed so many people during the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi because of the way he looks,” mentioned the worker.
Vieitez reportedly uses refugees as a source of cheap manpower because he pays them little.
A driver at ARC told The New Times last week that he has on several occasions been forced to sign fuel consumption documents even when Vieitez has used the car for his personal businesses.Repeated efforts to get a comment from Vieitez were fruitless. He refused to return our calls or respond to our email inquiries.