HARARE - Despite the progress of the Inclusive Government in stabilising the economy nothing much has changed for the workers who are still paid salaries well below the poverty datum line. (Pictured: Lovemore Matombo)
The government is now dragging its feet on the need for tripartite negotiations and labour law reforms. According to the ZCTU President, Lovemore Matombo, the government of Zimbabwe which includes the MDC a party led by a trade unionist is failing to improve the status of the workers.
There were a lot of expectations at the inauguration of this political arrangement. Expectations were quite high from the workers side. But in terms of the labour regime nothing much has changed, said Matombo recently. At the inception of the GNU, the labour movement pushed hopefully for a poverty datum line salary and also for the introduction of a labour reform law. But nothing meaningful has happened in the past two years.
For Matombo the inertia lies with Zanu (PF), which continues to frustrate efforts by the MDC to push for the workers. We have an animal that has existed for over 30 years and this animal has developed a particular governance culture. It would be difficult for such a culture to disappear within two years, said Matombo.
Many people have blamed the MDC for not doing enough to push the cause of workers – but Matombo said Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirais party had been forced into playing second fiddle to Zanu (PF). Apart from the issues to do with salaries the government of Zimbabwe is also not putting into practise recommendations that were put by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) which found the countrys labour laws wanting.
The recommendations were put to the government last year in March and the government said they would implement the recommendations. But up until today not a single one has been done.
Post published in: News