Labour union resolves to strike over worsening economic crisis

By Lance Guma
04 July 2007

The Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions has resolved to mobilise its members for a strike in July to protest the worsening plight of workers in the country. On Wednesday ZCTU Deputy Secretary General Japhet Moyo told Newsreel the labour body’s regional leaders met on Saturday to consider several issues, one of which was that nothing had changed in terms of union demands to government. The ZCTU put forward demands for a living wage for workers above the poverty datum line of Z$5,5 million a month. Since those demands were made government has failed to address any of them and inflation is now pegged at over 10 000 percent by independent analysts and is constantly changing the living wage required.

Moyo said they are consulting the ZCTU general membership on the best method of striking. In the past they have employed mass stay aways and street demonstrations. On all occasions the state has responded with brute force, crushing all gatherings and severely beating up union leaders. Moyo conceded that shaping the actual strategy was going to be a challenge in view of the repression in the country. It will then be up to the ZCTU general assembly to meet and endorse any recommendations made.

The ZCTU is already predicting massive retrenchments of workers caused by the chaos over price controls which are threatening to shut down many businesses. Manufacturers and supermarkets countrywide are considering their options following threats from government that they risk having their businesses nationalised if they do not implement 50 percent price reductions. Moyo predicted the situation would severely affect the few workers lucky to have jobs in an environment of 80 percent unemployment. He however said the ZCTU is still to adopt a formal position on the price reductions being ordered by government, and that this would be tabled for discussion by the union in days to come.