Govt backtracks on PSMAS take-over bid

LIVINGSTONE MARUFU

The government, through the Public Service Commission (PSC), seemed to have backed off from its plan to  take control of Premier Services Medical Aid Society (PSMAS) following resistance from unions.

The PSC had proposed to demutualise PSMAS, cover the funding gaps at the institution, among other measures to  restore sanity.

But, the umbrella body for civil service servants unions, the Zimbabwe Confederation of Public Sector Trade Unions (ZCPSTU)  confronted PSC  and resisted the takeover  bid  saying it should stay away from the affairs of  PSMAS.

Government control, the ZCPSTU warned, would worsen the situation. They said senior government officials would plunder resources at the medical aid society.

“PSC has put its tail between the legs as you can have a comparison of the PSC secretary Jonathan Wutawunashe press statement weeks ago and the tone he has now assumed to say that government will do more to help workers with non-monetary benefits,” a source close to the developments said.

Wutawunashe made a number of allegations condemning what he calls “rot” at PSMAS while committing to fix the  problems at the medical aid society.

But  ZCPSTU told their employer to back off.

“We warned them that if they wanted to persist on that path they had to  come to the table with workers and not do things without the  knowledge of the workers.

“We don’t know where they stand but they have stopped talking about PSMAS publicly,” she said.

“As workers we had taken a distinctive stance of saying bring it on if  you want but with the secretary toning down he may have realised his mistake.”

The union was ready to take the PSC to the courts if it continued with the takeover bid.

Contacted for a comment, the Apex Council secretary, David Dzatsunga, said he was conflicted because he is a member of the PSMAS board.

ZCPSTU said PSMAS is a mutual society that should be governed by its own members.

Any  issues to do with malfeasance and misgovernance should be addressed through the Society’s own constitution and not by an external party such as the government.

Last year, PSC claimed to have remitted  ZWL$6bn to PSMAS.

This year, the civil servants’ employer also claimed to have remitted ZWL$637m.

But, the trade unions said  the PSC remittances fall far short of PSMAS claims bill of ZWL$1.5bn.

The medical cover for each PSMAS member stands at  ZWL$8000 per year, a situation that was described by unions as good as not having medical insurance.