National Bio Authority employees down tools over unpaid salaries, move paves way for biopiracy

Harare- EMPLOYEES at the National Biotechnical Authority(NBA) have downed tools since Tuesday citing a coterie of griviances chief among them poor salaries and unpaid overtime allowances.

The NBA is an arm of government responsible for processing permits and registration of Genetically Modified Food(GMOs )that enter through the border and the industrial action has paralyzed operations.

This development promotes biopiracy and bleeds government coffers.

Biopiracy is a practice of commercially exploiting naturally occurring biochemical or genetic material, especially by obtaining patents that restrict its future use, while failing to pay fair compensation to the community from which it originates.

According to our impeccable sources who spoke to Express Mail Zim on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisal ,one of the board member identified as Moyo challenged employees to produce war credentials and bragged that he was a stockholder of the country.

“Mr Moyo challenged us saying we did not fight the liberation war and we must not give them pressure.
“This confrontation was in June this year and since then no changes have been made,” said our source.

Investigations by Express Mail Zim established that Treasury took over the wage bill for 96 employees previously paid from the NBA coffers.

Despite claims of finacial constraints, the NBA keeps on recruiting more staff.

Express Mail Zim crew visited the Newlands offices Wednesday and the gate was closed with protest posters stuck at the gate denouncing the malpractisce by management.

Efforts to contact the financial director Mrs Marufu hit a snag as her mobile phone was not reachable at the time of writing.