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Mr Sifiso Ndlovu

Felex Share Herald Reporter
Civil servants unions have failed to access subscriptions from their members this month amid reports Treasury did not remit deductions to the Salaries Service Bureau.The unions have written to the Civil Service Commission seeking clarification.

This comes as some unions have applied for permission to increase their monthly subscriptions, a proposal that has irked members.
There are at least 13 registered civil servants unions that collect more than US$7 million yearly from members, who in return get a T-shirt, a calendar and a diary for their contributions.

Treasury forwards civil servants’ salaries to the SSB for processing.

The SSB makes all relevant deductions, such as Pay As You Earn, pensions and AIDS levies, and forwards subscriptions to unions’ accounts.
However, subscriptions for this month were deducted from salaries but the money was not released to unions’ accounts.

Members pay between US$8 and US$13 monthly as subscriptions.

“We write to inquire about the failure by the employer to remit deducted union dues and Special Project Fund deducted from our members’ salaries for the month of February 2014,” reads a letter written by Zimbabwe Teachers Association chief executive Mr Sifiso Ndlovu to CSC secretary Mrs Pretty Sunguro.

“It is four days since the due date for remittance was made but to date we are still to get the money from our banks. It is our strong belief that the employer owes the unions an official explanation on this new development.

“The employer should at all times desist from tendencies that squander trust and goodwill between the employer and its employees. Please kindly proffer an explanation to this unsavoury development in the history of independent Zimbabwe.”