Hundreds of workers in the sugar industry are seeking Government assistance to protect them from being forced to pay double subscriptions to two rival labour unions that are involved in an acrimonious fight for members. There are over 18 000 people involved in the sugar processing sector in the country.

It is alleged that the Zimbabwe Sugar Milling Industry Workers Union (Zismimu) and the Sugar Production Milling Workers Union of Zimbabwe (Spmwuz) have forged some of the workers’ signatures to clandestinely deduct affiliation fees from them.

Indications are that the cold war between the unions have been going on since 2014, with an average worker contributing at least $5 per month in subscriptions.

ZISMIWU president Mr Simbarashe Nyemba yesterday challenged fellow employees to renounce affiliation from the rival association to address the impasse triggered by dual deductions.

“This issue of dual deductions has triggered a lot of suffering for many workers in the sugar processing industry since the confusion started in 2014,” he said.

“Most workers have been subjected to harsh dual deductions, which if combined will show that each worker was losing $5 per month in affiliation fees to unions.

“If you are to calculate the figures, one will discover that people are losing a substantial amount of money as a result of the current set up.”

Mr Freedom Madungwe, who is employed by Tongaat Hulett Zimbabwe, said they were seeking Government intervention to resolve the perennial problem.

He said ZISMIWU and SPAMAWUZ were simultaneously deducting money from the workers as they continued with their fight for dominance.

“These unions are just taking us for granted,” he said.
“They should not involve us in their turf wars and you will note that because of their action the double dipping is eating into our salaries.

“We have since noted our concern with the employers and are hopeful that we will recover part of our money deducted over the last three years.”

Since 2014, the workers have been trying to seek audience with the two unions without success.
The workers say it seems that it is not in the interest of the unions to meet them because they would be stopped from effecting the illegal deductions.