medical workers
THE Medical and Allied Trade Workers Union of Zimbabwe (MATWUZ) has blamed “rogue” unions for causing destabilising retrenchments in the private medical sector, urging employees to seek official verification before aligning with any union.
Darlington Chitedega, general secretary of MATWUZ, said “rogue” trade unions were sprouting in the medical sector, resulting in employees being duped of their money.
“Although we staunchly support trade unionism, we are concerned that certain rogue unions are causing instability, leading to job losses. Specifically, there are rogue trade unions purporting to represent employees in the private medical sector,” he said.
“We urge all employees to safeguard their interests by seeking verification from the National Employment Council for the Medical and Allied Industry or the Minister of Labour before aligning with any union. This step is crucial for protecting their employment.”
Chitedega said while they uphold the principle of freedom of association, “we cannot risk our members’ livelihoods by allowing them to join these sprouting, unverified unions.”
His comments come at a time when a top hospital in Harare has reportedly begun a retrenchment exercise that will result in the layoff of 50 employees.
There are allegations that the move is aimed at getting rid of unionised workers.
Chitedega also called for an urgent review of the Labour Act, blaming recent amendments for a proliferation of “sprouting, unverified” unions that fragment the workforce and weaken collective bargaining power, leading to job losses.
“We now have four or five unions within a single industry, competing to represent a small number of employees, which creates discord and weakens collective bargaining. Therefore, we believe urgent action is needed,” he said.
Chitedega said MATWUZ would engage like-minded trade unions and mother bodies, such as the Zimbabwe Federation of Trade Unions and the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions, to advocate for a review of the Labour Act.
“The goal is to prevent the current chaos and protect employees within our industry and the broader labour fraternity,” he said.
“These are critical issues that must be addressed to ensure the effective protection of all employees.”
