Zimbabwe Confederation of Public Sector Trade Unions (ZCPSTU) has demanded that government pay them a decent health insurance instead of bailing out the struggling Public Service Medical Aid Society (PSMAS).
Government recently bailed out PSMAS and PSMI which were struggling to stay afloat resulting in workers going for months without salaries while some of its clinics were facing closure.
In a press statement, organising secretary for ZCPSTU, Charles Chinosengwa said as a board that represents civil servants, 90 percent of whom make up PSMAS, they were baffled to learn of the bailout package given to the health insurance company.
“Since the constructive dissolution of the PSMAS Board, the Regulator has been running PSMAS without due consultation with its owners and in violation of his own statutory instrument that clearly requires for him to consult with the members of the Society.
“We believe that the Regulator is now acting as a linchpin for officials who are on mission to take over PSMAS. This because the Regulator is running a society to which he is a service provider. It would be interesting to see how much of the 4 Billion will go into his company account,” said Chinosengwa.
The PSC and the Regulator have been consulting with the PSMAS and PSMI Managing Directors who are our employees and thus have no mandate to make policy decisions on behalf of the PSMAS AGM.
He blasted government for failing to pay civil servants decent salaries resulting in the collapse of PSMI which they now seek to bail out.
“Since 2020, the employer has steadfastly refused to effect a much needed subscription increase resulting in the current breakdown of services they now seek to correct through a bail out package.
“We wonder how the 4 Billion can be a bail out when the employer has since been owing PSMAS arrears of its own contribution, having in the past months unilaterally increased the employee subscription without effecting their part.It is quite curious that Government should budget resources to bail out a private entity such as PSMAS/PSMI without any request from or consultation with its owners. Also did this bail come from the national budget and was it approved by Parliament in which there should be a statutory instrument to that end.
“Nothing short of an all stakeholders dialogue can bring closure to the circus at PSMAS. We, the owners of the Society do have answers and if we had been consulted in time, hospitals would never have been closed, PSMI staff need not have gone for 4 months without pay had it not been for the Regulator’s brazen violation of his statutory instrument,” he added.
