By A Correspondent
Calls are growing for the government to investigate certain trade union leaders who are accused of using their positions for personal enrichment, leaving their members to struggle financially.
According to sources, Adoniah Mutero, the General Secretary of the United Food and Allied Workers Union of Zimbabwe, has been under scrutiny for allegedly mismanaging union funds since taking office in 2016. Investigations suggest that Mutero has used his leadership role to advance personal interests, while union members, who pay monthly subscriptions, continue to face financial hardship.
Several employees from the union, who spoke anonymously for fear of retaliation, claim that Mutero, along with the national executive, have been awarding themselves excessively high salaries that far exceed the country’s Poverty Datum Line.
“Workers have been suffering in silence for a long time,” one staff member said. “The General Secretary and the national executive, which includes leaders from sectors like sugar milling, confectionery, meat, baking, and food processing, are receiving double salaries—from the union and from the companies they work for. The amounts they receive are far higher than what we, as union staff, are paid, and much more than what the members, who fund the union through subscriptions, earn.”
The workers allege that the General Secretary, with the approval of the national executive, is taking home a salary of at least $2,000 USD per month, in addition to allowances such as airtime, fuel, and entertainment.
“The General Secretary, with the green light of the national executive, is earning $2,000 USD monthly, along with other benefits, while we, the staff workers, receive much lower salaries. We are the ones doing the work, but we are left with little to show for it,” one worker claimed. “Mutero has turned the union into his personal business, and he has the power to influence decisions within the executive.”
Reports also suggest that Mutero is driving a luxury vehicle, a Toyota Fortuner GD 6, typically associated with high-ranking government officials.
The union’s staff also revealed that they wrote a letter to the Ministry of Labour last year, highlighting concerns about the mismanagement of funds. They alleged that Mutero was running a microfinance company in which membership funds were deposited, generating profits before being disbursed to workers’ personal accounts. The workers also accused the union leadership of nepotism and failing to remit NSSA and PAYE contributions. Following their complaint, some improvements were noted, but workers are still calling for a full investigation into the union’s operations.
“We urge the Ministry of Labour to conduct a full investigation,” one worker said. “The union has lost its primary focus of representing the needs and interests of its members.”
In the meantime, workers claim that they are forced to attend National Executive Council meetings to earn allowances, as their regular salaries are insufficient to cover their living expenses.
When approached for comment, Mutero responded dismissively, saying, “You can go ahead and write whatever you feel like writing. I know you are being influenced by outside forces.”