ZESA employees back at work
By Tichaona Sibanda
5 January 2007

Striking workers from the state owned power utility went back to work Friday, a day after they walked out demanding higher pay. Employees at the Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority had downed their tools on Thursday after a “go-slow” work action failed to produce results.

Zesa Holdings general manager for corporate communications James Maridadi confirmed Friday that employees had returned to work saying they had no reason to stop work in the first place. In an interview with Newsreel Maridadi said the strike action was illegal and that the workers did not follow the correct procedure because management and the workers’ representatives were still engaged in a collective bargaining process.

Civil servants in Zimbabwe have become desperate as inflation continues to soar without any reasonable increases in salary offered by the government. Inflation figures rocketed beyond 1000% in 2006 while government workers in many sectors battled with the authorities for a pay rise and better working conditions. Many resorted to strike action as desperation set in.

There was chaos in the capital on Thursday after some workers switched off parts of the CBD before they took to the streets. Management had rejected their demands for a salary hike of 1 150 percent in the first quarter. Many parts of Harare were without power for most of the day.

‘The background to this issue is that the bargaining process came to a deadlock and as such both parties agreed to go for arbitration. There is no fighting between the parties, both sides agreed to disagree and this is when both sides agreed to invite a third party, which is arbitration,’ Maridadi said. As the case had been referred for arbitration the management at Zesa felt it was wrong for the employees to down tools. The law stipulates that once a case is sent for arbitration, nothing should be done to undermine that process.

Maridadi questioned the wisdom of some of the employees holding Zesa customers at ransom by switching off power. The power-cuts, he said, were caused by a few misguided elements within the company. Zimbabwe Electricity and Energy Workers’ Union secretary-general Ian Munjoma has also confirmed workers have gone back to work. Harare based journalist Shakeman Mugari said Munjoma told him his union will continue with negotiations with management to get a better pay deal for their members.