…ARTUZ warns of an impending general strike
Emmanuel Chitsika
Workers’ unions in Zimbabwe have called upon government to urgently act towards the restoration of the status and dignity of workers paying particular attention to the civil service whose members are wallowing in abject poverty.
Progressive Teachers Union of Zimbabwe president Dr Takavafira Zhou said government has deliberately neglects civil servants by unilaterally culling their salaries and paying a deaf ear to their calls for improvement of working conditions.
“There is therefore an urgent need to restore the status of workers and dignity in Zimbabwe in particular. Civil servants are mourning the cold, callous and calculated salary and conditions of work vandalism that saw government unilaterally culling their salaries with teachers’ salaries declining from US$ 540 to the current equivalent of US$ 50. There is need to restore the purchasing power parity of workers’ salaries and conditions of service that have fallen from grace to grass with monotonous regularity,” said Dr Zhou.
He also accused government of adopting neo-liberal policies, led to closure of industries, perpetuating corruption and failure to create employment opportunities.
“The point is that neo-liberal policies pursued by government have seen conditions of workers deteriorating in Zimbabwe. Many industries have closed and unemployment is more than 94 percent. Despite assurances to create employment, the country has become a nation of vendors and informal trade.
“High profile corruption has become routine rather than episodic and poverty of leadership more apparent. Workers call for a responsible leadership that can ensure that national resources are tapped and harnessed for the benefit of the citizenry. The conditions of have continued to decline while the workload is excessive with bloated and composite classes,” he added.
Dr Zhou’s sentiments were echoed by Amalgamated Rural Teachers Union of Zimbabwe president Obert Masaraure who said this year’s May Day commemorations should inspire the working class to unite and boldly fight against slave wages.
“This year’s commemorations should inspire the broader working class unite and boldly fight back against slave wages. The restoration of workers’ dignity in linked with the fight against neo-liberalism and corruption. The day should serve as a launch for a sustained fight back against exploitation.
“ARTUZ is taking heed of the call to compliment the traditional red color with a black color symbolizing a state of mourning the poverty levels in our country. Post May Day ARTUZ will initiate and join all actions aimed at putting an end to save wages. On May day, we will announce a day for a general strike, a day we expect the working the working class to fight back against stagnant paltry salaries in the face of an inflationary environment,” declared Masaraure.
Zimbabwe Revenue Alliance Trade Union (ZIMRATU) president Dominic Manyangadze said restoration of the workers’ dignity covers quite a number of issues among them rewarding a decent wage.
“The issue of restoration of workers’ dignity covers a broader spectrum of issues which engulfs the whole nation. The main reason being that if a worker is given a wage that cannot sustain his/her family through purchasing power, it directly mean that one would have lost dignity. As a union, we resonate well with the theme of restoration dignity as we recognize the value of jobs that we have in our sector.
“If only government can restore salaries to January 2019 period, only then would dignity have been restored. As a sector, we are saying we need recognition as key drivers of the Zimbabwean economy as revenue collectors for the state. What would be the feeling if what we collect is used to pay other government departments, when our offers in form of local currency are not commensurate with the salary matrix. ZIMRATU union members also need recognition in terms of non-monetary benefits like tax rebates that government offered civil servants and Members of Parliament. That would go a long way in reducing threats of strikes, job actions and incapacitation that always prop-up,” said Manyangadze.
The salary impasse between government and majority of the civil service has been ongoing for quite some time with teachers boycotting classes late last year prompting government to introduce US$ allowances on top of the paltry local currency salary.
Government has also been accused of acting in bad faith for rewarding members of the Zimbabwe National Army increased salary pecks while neglecting other civil servants like teachers, nurses and doctors.
