In a press release by the nursing staff -SYNAPA and SNTS unions issued this 10 January 2017, nurses claim that they are being charged a lot and illegally. They ask the government to suspend its measure to withdraw money from their salary.
Marie Bukuru: “The contribution should be voluntary and no given amount should be fixed”
Marie Bukuru, legal representative of SNTS union says contributions are no longer voluntary as it was said. “It is no longer a voluntary contribution. The contribution is fixed according to the category of the personnel and the amount is already fixed,” she says.
She deplores a compulsory collection of money that is being made in the ministry of health despite a message from the minister recently sent to the nursing staff via their superiors saying that contributions are voluntary.
Bukuru reminds that their unions are not against that patriotic duty. “The contribution ought to be voluntary and therefore no amount should be fixed. Those who want will contribute according to their means,” she says.
Bukuru says the nursing staff already have problems because of the freezing of funds. “The decision to freeze funds affects our lives. Some of our colleagues do not receive anything following this measure. Deducting any amount from our salary equals killing many of us.”
She appeals to the government to prioritize dialogue. “As it was suggested by Burundi Confederation of Trade Unions – COSYBU in its recent letter to the Ministry of the Interior, it will be better to suspend this measure and prioritise dialogue,” says Bukuru.
On 8 January 2018 COSYBU sent a letter to the Ministry of the Interior asking for the suspension of the measure to deduct some amount from their salary for 2020 elections.
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