HARARE The Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) has called on the International Labour Organisation (ILO) to force President Robert Mugabe and Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirais power-sharing government to implement the international labour watchdogs recommendations following an inquiry into worker rights abuses in Zimbabwe. An ILO report released just over a week ago said among other violations Zimbabwes state security forces have used arrests and torture of labour leaders to stifle union activity in the country.
The ILO, which last August dispatched a team of labour experts to Harare to probe alleged worker rights abuses, urged the unity government to end anti-union practices by security forces and other state agents.
The world workers body also called on the government to speed up creation of a human rights commission that is expected to defend the rights and freedoms of Zimbabweans including workers.
But ZCTU secretary general Wellington Chibebe said in a statement at the weekend the best way to get the recommendations followed would be to force the administration to embrace them. He did not elaborate.
Government must be forced to implement recommendations made by the commission of inquiry, he said.
We know the ILO, as a UN agency, has in place mechanisms to ensure implementation of the recommendations put forward. We urge government to acknowledge the gravity of the violations that occurred and put into action corrective measures that will ensure that such violations do not occur again. Government is ignoring the ILO commission of inquiry, Chibebe said.
He said the state security agents had not relented in their campaign against union activists and had in fact stepped up harassment of ZCTU leaders, months after the ILO team that investigated violations in Zimbabwe left last year.
For example Chibebe cited the threats against secretary general of the General Agricultural and Plantation Workers Union of Zimbabwe, Gertrude Hambira who was forced to flee the country fearing for her life as sign that the security establishment was determined to suppress trade unionists in the country.
Both Labour Minister Paurina Gwanyanya and Justice Minister Patrick Chinamasa were not immediately available for comment on the matter.
The ILO commission of inquiry was prompted by the alleged assault and torture of top ZCTU officials in September 2006 after state security agents foiled a workers’ protest.
ZCTU chief Matombo and secretary general Wellington Chibebe were among some of the executives from the labour body who were assaulted and tortured by the security agents.
Matombo, Chibebe and 14 others later sued Home Affairs Minister Kembo Mohadi, Police Commissioner General, Augustine Chihuri and several other police officers implicated in their alleged torture after reports by independent medical doctors indicated that their injuries were consistent with torture.
The ZCTU has previously criticised the unity government for its failure to reform the police to instill professionalism, calling last year for the immediate resignation of co-ministers of home affairs Mohadi and Giles Mutsekwa for failing to ensure that police uphold the rule of the law.
Post published in: News