From IPP’s THE GUARDIAN — The Comprehensive Community Based Rehabilitation in Tanzania (CCBRT) employees have lodged complaints to the Commission for Mediation and Arbitration (CMA) against their employer for allegedly embezzling their salaries allocated by the government.
Speaking to journalists in Dar es Salaam just before filing their complaints, the employees’ Secretary, Achile Edgar said the decision was due to the fact that despite being paid their salaries by the hospital, the government has also been allocating salaries for the workers but they have not received any.
“What we want is a judicial clarification on the matter because we have already proved through the treasury office that each of us has got a salary slip with check number from the government with all necessary deductions like health insurance, NSSF and all other government deduction, but what we get from CCBRT management is contrary to the pay slip,’’ he said.
According to him, it was on November, 2007 when the government signed a contract with CCBRT management to approve the hospital being a Super Specialists Hospital East zone with agreement that the government will be contributing in the payments of workers’ salaries.
“Initially, the hospital management through the hospital Board Chairman Dr Wilbroad Slaa denied the presence of the government involvement in workers’ salaries,” he said.
“…but later on after showing the management a proof of a letter from the hospital’s former Assistance Chief Executive Officer writing to NSSF management demanding for the workers contribution from the government to be reallocated to CCBRT, the hospital CEO said the contract was between the hospital and the government excluding the workers,” he added.
The workers further claimed that they managed to obtain a document with heading ‘Salary Support by government of Tanzania,’ prepared by the hospital’s management which showed differences in salary payments allocated by the government and that allocated by the hospital.
“We also managed to get a staff specifications document from the government which included the allocation of money for staff promotions like education promotion but the hospital management has never given such promotions to the workers,” he said.
However, during his exclusive telephone interview with this paper regarding the accusation CCBRT CEO, Erwin Telemans said his management is responsible to pay the workers because they are the legitimate employees.
“They should know that CCBRT is their only employer and even the government is aware of that because the workers entered a contract with CCBRT and not the government,” he said.
The case which involves more than 400 workers is represented by 47 complainants represented by MNL Law Chamber.
