By Emergencey Mwale

EMPLOYEES of sugar manufacturing company Tongaat-Hulett are crying foul over ‘forceful’ deduction of monthly subscriptions, amounting to a total of US$100 000, from their salaries and paid to a workers’ union that is failing to represent their concerns.
The disgruntled workers said the Zimbabwe Sugar and Milling Industry Worker’s Union (ZISMWU), which has a paying membership of 20 000 workers, was allegedly abusing monthly payments without rendering services.
Of concern among the workers is failure by the union to arbitrate when crisis arises between the employee and employer.
Workers that have been unfairly dismissed have not received assistance from the union.
The workers accused the union’s secretary general Admore Hwarara for allegedly abusing the monthly subscription fees of US$5. Some of the workers earn a mere US$100 per month which they described as a ‘slave-wage’.
“Every month Hwarara is pocketing more than US$100 000 which he is using to support a lavish lifestyle,” said an employee who spoke on condition of anonymity.
“He has become a baron in the community driving fancy cars that he changes on a regular basis.
“Seeing Hwarara buying all and sundry beers in nightclubs with our money while we barely afford to give our families decent meals is painful to say the least.”
The worker said efforts to stop the deductions from salaries have been futile alleging that some members of the Tongaat-Hulett executive were allegedly being paid kick-backs by Hwarara.
“We have told our employer to stop the deductions that are going to the union as it has failed us, but they continue giving him (Hwarara) our hard earned money,” said another worker who refused to be named.
“With more than US$100 000 per month the union could be embarking on programmes such as housing delivery and healthcare that benefit workers, but that is not happening while Hwarara is establishing personal businesses.”
Sugar Production and Milling Industry Workers Union of Zimbabwe, executive secretary, Adonia Mutero castigated ZISMWU for shortchanging workers.
“Unions are there to represent workers and not abuse them but lately we have discovered that there are unions that are concerned with enriching themselves forgetting that they exist to serve workers,” said Mutero.
“It is sad that workers whose plight is not improving as a result of poor representation are witnessing union leaders thriving at their expense and are supping with the ‘devil’ so to speak.”
Workers, Mutero said, should get value from their subscriptions.
“It is time that unions deliver value for money, elsewhere in the world unions invest workers subscriptions and improve the livelihoods of workers through provision of housing and even capital to start their own ventures,” he said.
“It is time that unions in the country operate along the same lines delivering value for money to workers.”
The workers said the Hwarara-led union had failed to address critical issues such as the increase, by the employer, of the retirement age to 70 from 60.
“The employer did not consult us, but just declared that the retirement age had been pushed up to 70 and the union which purports to represent us has not done anything,” said one employee. “We have asked Hwarara to engage the employer, but he has not done so.
“We are nothing, but a money making venture for Hwarara and we are appealing to responsible authorities to approach the company and make it stop giving the bogus union our money.”
Mutero said workers were not supposed to be forced to pay subscriptions to a union.
“Workers determine and not the employer, the union that they want to represent them and when they are not satisfied with services they are allowed to stop dealing with that particular union and the employer has no say in the union that workers prefer,” he said.
“It is criminal for an employer to force workers to deal with a particular union especially one that does not serve their needs.
“We cannot have workers living in dagga and pole houses while the company that they are working is doing well.
“President Robert Mugabe has awakened workers all over the country and a majority of them now have big plans, but their aspirations are being frustrated.
The workers said they were yet to embrace indigenisation because the union was not pursuing the matter on behalf of employees.
President of the Sugar Production and Milling Industry, Jerry Mahuni appealed for government intervention.
“It is time for Government to intervene and stop this madness,” said Mahuni.
“There are people that are using names of high officials in Government and citing backing of ‘ZANU PF’ to cower helpless workers bringing the name of President Mugabe into disrepute.
“Workers in this part of the country fully understand Government policies which they support and have higher aspirations after heeding calls by the President to better their lot and not be content with just being workers, but they are being shortchanged.”
Efforts to get a comment from Hwarara were fruitless at the time of going to print.
This reporter tried several times to contact Hwarara on his mobile phone, but it was unreachable.