Chamisa Urges Workers To Support Efforts To Remove Mnangagwa's Government For Better Salaries
Opposition leader Nelson Chamisa of the Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) urged workers to support the efforts to remove President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s government so they can enjoy the benefits of their labour.
Mnangagwa’s leadership has been marked by strikes from nurses and teachers demanding better wages since the November 2018 switch from US dollar to Zimbabwe dollar salaries.
Chamisa made the remarks during his address at the Workers Day commemorations in Dzivarasekwa, Harare organised by the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU). He said:
Workers are the wheels of change. Workers deserve a new and great Zimbabwe free from poverty, corruption and oppression. We believe in the decent work agenda, employment opportunities and sustainable enterprises. Labour standards and workers’ rights, inclusive social protection, inclusive social dialogue, collective bargaining, non-discrimination by gender, age or any other form. Workers get ready for this change. Workers stand up and participate in the change that you so deserve.
We need to uphold labour standards and workers’ rights. Workers are being ill-treated, especially in mines. Workers are being turned into slaves. There is no employment, but exploitation. Workers being creators of wealth must be taken care of. Their sweat must be honoured. God gave us everything, but what we lack is good stewardship and leadership of natural resources.
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Chamisa also posted on Twitter:
We believe in the Decent work agenda -Employment opportunities and sustainable enterprises. -Labour standards and workers rights -Inclusive Social protection -Inclusive Social dialogue.. collective bargaining. -Non discrimination by gender, age or any other form! Workers get ready for this change! Workers stand up and participate in the change that you so deserve! #ANewGreat Zimbabwe
PAY WORKERS DECENT SALARIES..This day, we salute all workers for keeping the economy and nation’s wheels turning and rolling under conditions of decent work deficits. Workers are the wheels of change. Workers deserve a New and Great Zimbabwe free from poverty, corruption and oppression. Saluting all workers this #MayDay
Chamisa’s call for action echoed those of several workers’ representatives, who urged employees to challenge the abuse of their rights and demand decent salaries.
The Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR) attributed workers’ poverty to high levels of corruption in both the public and private sectors, resulting in the looting of the country’s resources by the elite. Despite the country’s abundance of natural resources like precious minerals, workers continue to suffer from extreme poverty and shortages of basic amenities.
The secretary-general of the Progressive Teachers Union of Zimbabwe, Raymond Majongwe, said there was little for workers to celebrate this year, as workers’ conditions, especially for teachers, have worsened to unprecedented levels. He blamed the government for the perpetual poverty and misery experienced by workers.
The general secretary of the Zimbabwe Diamond and Allied Minerals Workers Union (ZDAMWU), Justice Chinhema, expressed concern over poor working and living conditions that continue to result in the loss of lives among mine workers.
Currently, salary negotiations between the government and workers under the National Joint Negotiating Council (NJNC) have reached a deadlock as workers refused to accept the offered increment.
During his Workers’ Day speech, President Mnangagwa announced that the government was reviving the Tripartite Negotiating Forum (TNF) to improve efficiency in salary negotiations and advance social justice in the workplace. The president also emphasised the importance of industrial harmony for the sustainable growth of the economy and called for the parties to the TNF to finalize a social contract urgently.
