ZIMBABWEAN workers marked the International Workers’ Day on 1 May without pomp and fanfare amid biting economic hardships, with trade union leaders pressing the government to take action against the multi-layered socio-economic plight of their members in the wake of the moribund new ZiG currency that has eroded the value of salaries.
BRENNA MATENDERE
President Emmerson Mnangagwa made a virtual address to the nation a day ahead of the commemorations and urged workers to be resilient, but union leaders saw it as hollow rhetoric.
In a statement, Progressive Teachers’ Union of Zimbabwe (Ptuz) president Takavafira Zhou said poor salaries, atrocious conditions of service, increase in basic commodity prices, ignoring of the urgent need for proper industrial relations machinery by government/employers and aggravation of the plight of workers by drought have fueled industrial disharmony in Zimbabwe since the colonial period.
“Our current conditions are no exception, more so considering the effects of the zigorised economy, and acidic, rigid, arid, parochial and educationally riddled and ill-conceived Heritage curricula.
“While today we mourn the demise of teachers in Zimbabwe in particular, and all workers in general, from grace to grass with monotonous regularity under the auspices of the Second Republic, we want to reiterate our long-held view that the darkest hour is just before dawn. We, therefore, urge workers in Zimbabwe to navigate across the current challenges, unite, organise and fight for better salaries and conditions of service,” he said.
Zhou said the issue of better salaries and decent work agenda can never be surrendered to the employer, even at the last moment of possible defeat.
“Government workers, particularly teachers, deserve a basic salary of US$540, housing allowance of US$300, transport allowance of US$150, education allowance of US$150 per month, and other allowances in line with duties and responsibilities of various professions.
“While state-sponsored fragmentation, deindustrialisation, deproletarianisation, and political thuggery have reduced today’s union voices to a cat’s meow rather than the lion roar of 1945, 1948, 1955/6, 1996, and 1997/1998, we are confident as Ptuz that with unity of purpose, dexterity and ingenuity unions can move nearer to the movements that gave us Benjamin Burombo, Joshua Nkomo, and Morgan Richard Tsvangirai,” he said.
In a statement, Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition said the majority of people, especially the working-class, have seen immense social progress over the years which was achieved through post-1980 labour laws, which recognised human and worker rights that were fought for and enshrined in the constitution’s nill of rights.
These have however evaporated with time.
“However, the question remains: how much progress have we made towards achieving our goals of liberation, democracy, and universal social emancipation since 1980? As we celebrate International Workers’ Day, it is essential to recognize that your labour is the backbone of our economy, and your dedication is the driving force behind our progress. As the Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition, we recognize the challenges that you face and stand in solidarity with you in the fight for fair wages, safe working conditions, and social justice. We must recommit ourselves to supporting one another and advocating for a better future for all.
“The recognition of workers’ rights in our constitution and labour laws did not come as a favour. The workers had to organise themselves into trade unions, build their own power, and wage a non-sexist struggle for these rights. Today, more than ever, we need the unity of organised workers and the working-class at large to roll back the neoliberal agenda that undermines collective bargaining,” reads the statement.
The organisation said the government of Zimbabwe must restore workers’ dignity by ensuring decent wages, restoring lost pensions and savings, freeing the labour space, and re-introducing safety nets in public health and education to cushion the peasants and workers from the externalisation of wealth and minerals.
“We need to acknowledge that the challenges faced by the working class and the masses of our people are a direct result of the Zanu PF government’s poor governance, corruption, lack of rule of law and dictatorship. Therefore, we strongly urge all progressive workers in our country and the entire labour movement to recognize that workers cannot thrive in the absence of democracy, rule of law, and respect for human rights. This necessitates the unity of the working class, as well as the organisation and mobilisation of our people to confront the issues that Zimbabwe is facing.”
Workers in the private sector are also without joy as the economic hardships bite.
Progressive Furniture, Timber and Allied Workers’ Union secretary-general Artingson Magune said since January this year, the National Employment Council (NEC) has not reviewed wages which was last done in July 2023.
“Our message to furniture manufacturing and timber processing industries is that we are not happy since both Nec for furniture and lumber milling has not negotiated wages or salaries since January 2024. Workers are still earning July 2023-negotiated salaries . Workers are crying that the government should review its tax bracket from US$100 tax free to US$300 tax free since poverty datum line is hovering around US$600. Most workers are walking to and from work. As a union, we look foward to government to review the tax free bracket and the TNF [Tripartite Negotiating Forum] should come with bold resolutions that support the workers,” he said.
The Federation of Zimbabwe Educators Unions (Fozeu) adopted the 2024 International Labour Organisation’s theme for May Day and slightly adapted it to suit context and came up with the theme: “Decent Work, Social Justice for all through Collective Bargaining.”
The organisation said its theme is a rallying point for millions of Zimbabweans who are in precarious work, vulnerable and enduring socio-economic injustice.
“For teachers and civil servants, the urgent issue is the right to collective bargaining, which can unlock a window of opportunity towards the realisation of labour justice, decent work, and adequate compensation. Zimbabwe’s civil servants have been systematically denied right to collective bargaining by the failure of government, as the employer, to align labour laws to the provisions of the 2013 constitution, and progressive regional and international standards.
“The Zimbabwean government violates section 65 of the constitution by Federation of Zimbabwe Educators Unions Theme: Decent Work, Social Justice for all through Collective Bargaining by unilaterally fixing conditions of service for its workers without going through collective bargaining processes which are a fundamental right.
“To sanitise and render a veneer of legitimacy to the illegalities, the government has secured the active cooperation from masquerades led by a Cecilia Alexander, who lacks legitimacy to represent all government employees. In the absence of collective bargaining, teachers and other civil servants now earn a paltry US$300 at a time when the cost of living exceeds US$1 000, leaving teachers unable to afford school fees for their own children. The Federation demands US$1 260 as the minimum salary for teachers and all civil servants,” reads the statement.
