Crippling industrial action is sweeping across all sectors as workers reject the small increments offered by government and private companies already weighed down by a deepening economic crisis.
Workers are demanding inflation-adjusted salary increments and Poverty Datum Line (PDL) based wages. Others are demanding salaries in forex.
Amid a strike by doctors that entered its sixth week yesterday, farm workers embarked on a go-slow this week, amid another strike by teachers.
Progressive Teachers Union of Zimbabwe secretary general Raymond Majongwe said the teachers strike, begun when schools opened on September 2, continues. Â
Zimbabwe Teachers Union president Tendai Chikowore said the teachers had been “economically incapacitated to perform their duties” and would not report for work unless meaningful steps are taken to ease their plight. Farm workers are also on go-slow while others have already downed their tools. Â
At several farms across the country, farm workers were on strike this week while union leaders were locked in bitter negotiations with farm owners. Edward Dzeka, the organizing secretary of the General Agriculture Plantations Workers Union (GAPWUZ) told The Zimbabwean that the 250,000 farm workers across the country want a “living wage.”
“If we want to regain that status as the breadbasket we need to pay salaries that attract workers to the farms. Right now most of them are panning for gold instead of working the field. The salaries are pathetic,” he said.
Another massive job action is looming in industry where workers, who are taking home as little as Z$2,000, are beginning to feel the pinch of the deepening economic crisis in Zimbabwe. Most workers in industry had downed or were contemplating downing their tools this week charging the minimum wage was “crazy.”
Lecturers from public universities, who were recently granted a hefty pay hike are also demanding better salaries to match inflation.
An official with the Zimbabwe State Universities Union of Academics Association, said that if their salaries were not increased, workers had no choice but to down their tools indefinitely. Â
*Meanwhile, Pindai Dube reports from Bulawayo that the country’s magistrates have approached the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) seeking cars and housing allowances as the economic bite continues.
This came barely a week after the same magistrates countrywide warned the government that they would embark on another strike if they did not receive salary increments at the end of September. Most magistrates’ salaries range between Z$2000 (20trillion) and $4000(40trillion) which is not even enough to sustain them for a week.
Sources in the judicial sector told The Zimbabwean this week that magistrates sent a representative to the RBZ governor Gideon Gono asking for cars and housing allowances like the packages he awarded to High Court and Supreme Court judges three months ago.
“We have sent our representative with a letter to Gono asking him to also give us the same allowances of cars and houses which he gave to judges some months ago. I borrow money for transport to come to work every morning while judges are getting everything from RBZ,” said one fuming magistrate who spoke on condition of anonymity. They have not received a response yet and no comment could be obtained from RBZ about their request.
Meanwhile businesspeople in Bulawayo have accused Gono of giving US dollars shop only to businesses owned by Zanu (PF) party faithfuls.
“We have discovered that only businesses owned by people with links to Zanu (PF) are getting licences,” said one prominent businessman.
Post published in: News