By Christopher Jimu:
One of the biggest bus companies in the country National Bus has laid off 25 employees due to tough operational environment.
According to our sources one of the reasons for the downsizing exercise is the dwindling cash flow inflows due to repossession of bus depots by government last year.
Mulli Brothers Limited official Ziona Tambala confirmed in an interview that the 25 were made redundant mainly because of cash flow problems the company is facing following government takeover of bus depots.
Said Tambala; ”It is true that we were forced to reduce staff in the National Bus Company partly because we are no longer incharge of day to day operations of bus depots. Stopping us from collecting revenue in this depots has affected us a lot”.
National Bus Company was overseeing operations at Wenela, Lilongwe, Mzimba, Kasungu and Salima bus depots.
According to Tambala the company was collecting K3,500 per bus leaving the depot every day.
“I can confidently say that we have lost between 25 or 30 per cent of our revenue. With this deficit we could not keep all our members of staff and inevitably there had to be casualties,” he added.
On plans the company has to be vibrant and competitive on the market, Tambala revealed that 12 new buses will be purchased this year hence some of the laid off staff can be recalled to duty.
One of the drivers who was a casualty of the exercise lamented the decision by the company to downsize claiming that it took him by surprise and he is failing to make ends meet.
National Bus is currently operating a fleet of 14 buses spread across the country.
