Banner from the Zimbabwe Teachers' Association on May Day 2013. The labor organization called for the lifting of economic sanctions against the Southern African State., a photo by Pan-African News Wire File Photos on Flickr.
Workers castigate sanctions
Thursday, 02 May 2013 00:00
Herald Reporters
WORKERS marking Workers Day at different venues yesterday castigated the West’s illegal economic sanctions regime which they blamed for the closure of companies and job losses countrywide.
The workers marked the day against the backdrop of sharp divisions that saw three unions — two factions of the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions and the Zimbabwe Industrial Revolutionary Workers Federation — holding celebrations at different venues in Harare.
The Zimbabwe Federation of Trade Unions did not convene a gathering, preferring to issue a statement.
One of the ZCTU factions held its function at Gwanzura Stadium, while the other one had its members at Raylton Sports Club.
Secretary-general of the faction at Raylton Sports Club, Mr Raymond Majongwe, said the illegal sanctions had crippled the country’s industries.
He said company closures were a result of sanctions and workers were suffering as a result of that.
“There are no two ways about that, sanctions have affected the workers,” said Mr Majongwe.
“The people at the top have not been affected. The sanctions have also hit hard on people through lack of electricity and water, among other things.”
Asked why as a trade union they had not denounced the illegal sanctions, Mr Majongwe said: “I did not invite them. I am fighting for salaries in line with the Poverty Datum Line.”
Speakers at the Raylton Sports Club function castigated MDC-T members for enriching themselves at the expense of the people.
MDC 99 leader Mr Job Sikhala said the MDC-T leadership had amassed wealth within a short period of time.
Former MDC-T legislator Mr Munyaradzi Gwisai said: “Right now we have an MDC-T minister of health who is refusing to employ more than 2 000 nurses and an MDC-T finance minister who is secretary-general of a party that we formed who is saying a teacher should earn US$250 per month.”
Several workers who spoke to The Herald at Gwanzura Stadium where one of the ZCTU factions commemorated the day, blamed the closure of companies on the illegal sanctions.
They castigated their union leaders for not opposing the illegal embargoes that rendered thousands of Zimbabweans jobless.
“We would have expected them to give us answers on why companies are closing,” said a member of the Zimbabwe Construction and Allied Trades Workers Union.
“They deliberately ignored that. They should face the reality that sanctions are the reason why industries are not performing. It is clear that industries in Bulawayo closed because of sanctions. It is a fact that Ziscosteel was brought to its knees by the sanctions. The closure of those companies resulted in several people being left jobless. We expected our leaders to talk against these sanctions, but instead they are busy campaigning for some political parties when they are supposed to talk about issues that are affecting workers.”
A banker who spoke on condition of anonymity said it was strange that some people were claiming that there were no sanctions.
“How does one justify the closure of all those companies in Bulawayo?” he said. “It is important for officials to be truthful, especially if they are politicians because they cannot tell people they are not being affected by sanctions when the companies that they worked for have closed.”
But ZCTU faction’s secretary general Mr Japhet Moyo claimed that the illegal sanctions had nothing to do with the closure of companies.
“Those who are saying the industry has closed because of sanctions, I have not heard their justification,” he said. “Yes, companies like Ziscosteel and Agribank were affected by the restrictions, but generally I don’t think repairing a broken chair needs Britain.
“I have challenges to believe that the closure of companies is because of the sanctions.”
The celebrations at Gwanzura Stadium were turned into a political rally as several speakers took the platform to campaign for the MDC-T ahead of the harmonised elections.
MDC-T deputy president Ms Thokozani Khupe, party secretary general Mr Tendai Biti and some ZCTU affiliates representatives openly campaigned for the party ahead of workers’ concerns.
At Mbare Netball Complex, the Zimbabwe Industrial Revolutionary Workers Federation called for the sanctions to be removed without delay.
The union’s secretary general Mr Pascoe Ekemu Chakanetsa called upon workers to register as voters to enable them to vote for Zanu-PF whose policies favour worker interests.
He said the empowerment and indigenisation of the economy was part of an answer to the illegal sanctions.
“Workers should benefit from the empowerment policies,” said Mr Chakanetsa. “We are fully supportive of the Zanu-PF policies to empower the people and to indigenise the economy.”
Zimbabwe Federation of Trade Unions president Mr Alfred Makwarimba in his May Day speech said the whole progressive labour force was celebrating the implenetation of the indigenisation and economic empowerment programmes.
“This to us fellow compatriots is indeed a revolutionary and critical first step towards the socialist ideals which ZFTU subscribes to,” he said.
Workers felt abandoned after former ZCTU leader Mr Morgan Tsvangirai formed the MDC-T in 1999 riding on the popularity of the workers’ union.
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