The Real Change Times Movement for Democratic Change A Party of Excellence! The Official Mouthpiece of the MDC

November 07 2019 MDC Communications Department, House, 44 Nelson Mandela Ave, Harare, Issue 180 Police brutally foil civil servants’ protest

This week’s disruption of the civil servants peaceful protests by the ZRP denying them the opportunity to handover their petition at the Ministry of Finance, is an indictment on the Mnangagwa administration.

It is a reflection of its lack of care, its anti-workers stance and more importantly a disregard of labour rights, the blatant dislike of the rule of law and constitutionalism.

The MDC expresses its support for the genuine and selfless demands by the civil servants for a living wage and better working conditions. Across the sectors, civil servants have had a raw deal from this illegitimate government and can barely afford to report for work.

As a party borne out of the sweat and toil of labour, we feel that our civil servants have a genuine and legitimate case.

The net effect of the demands of government workers, especially by the teachers, is that there must be restoration for this regime’s self-preservation. being in office, the MDC restates the 8 hours a day and our agenda is to of their decency. Their demand for point that illegitimate governments remuneration above the poverty datum Schools barely have text books, the restructure working hours to promote last attempts to avail learning tools was have no motivation to deliver, they only 24 hours of work in many sectors. line and improved working conditions is owe their allegiance to repressive State a just and legitimate demand. made during the era of the inclusive government. Given the insufficiency of apparatus. 5. Annual paid leave. their current salaries, teachers and other Currently the education sector is in The MDC is concerned by the current disarray with an unbearably high civil servants are incapacitated, the cost 6. Fully paid maternity leave. of commuting to work has gone beyond challenges bedevilling the civil service teacher-pupil ratio average 1:50 against and in response to these seemingly a background of a teacher recruitment their reach due to the devaluation of their 7. Sick leave for all employees wages in an economy characterised by insurmountable challenges; the MDC freeze. Rural teachers are neglected, and will ensure the following: are forced to improvise with inadequate gross mismanagement. 8. Protection against harmful labour. and archaic infrastructure. At the Fiscal and monetary blunders have 1. Upholding and protecting the right 9. Freedom to join trade unions and schools, teachers are faced with starving to collective bargaining as well as children and pupils dropping out en resulted in a shock return to hyperinflation elect representatives of their own. to a point where Mthuli Ncube had to ratification and codification of all ILO masse due to lack of funding and closure Conventions on collective bargaining. of schemes like the Basic Education stop ZIMSTATS from calculating annual 10.Gender sensitive practices including Assistance Model (BEAM). inflation. The teachers, like other civil protection against harassment and servants hold genuine demands and their 2. Upholding, and implementing the discrimination, principle of social dialogue and in In addition to these challenges, teachers cause does not deserve to be politicised. particular upholding and implementing 11.Ensuring all the working people are are expected to implement the new ILO Convention 144 on tripartite curriculum without the necessary tools In any case, the right to petition is covered by health insurance. provided in section 59 of the Constitution. consultation by re-constituting the to implement the same. The government tripartite negotiating forum, as an has been consistent in its neglect while The civil servants were simply supposed 12.The provision and the securing to be allowed to handover their petition. essential core of the consultative of the right to strike as found in the choosing to pay ghost workers who development forum. form part of Zanu PF’s election rigging More fundamentally their demands must Zimbabwean Constitution as read be addressed as a matter of urgency. together with ILO Conventions. machinery. 3. Harmonisation of all labour laws. Education delivery is being sacrificed An administration which is incapable of Maureen Kademaunga delivering public goods, has no reason 4. A regulated working week averaging Sec for Public Service & Social Welfare Stolen funds could have revived health sector - Dr Madzorera salaries, antiquated and broken-down pressed that they were incapacitated The US$ 3 billion stolen from from the tools of the trade, not to mention the “We call for transparency and ac- to perform their national duty and Command Agriculture programmed absolute scarcity of medicines and countability in the Health levy they were fired for that legitimate by the well-heeled political elite in other consumables necessary for and the Aids levy and demand expression,” Dr Madzorera said. the illegitimate Mnangagwa regime the delivery of optimum healthcare. that the money’s be channeled could pay the entire complement to serve their specific purposes. “These doctors will be very difficult of the country’s doctors and revive Zimbabwe’s collapsed heal sector. entire complement of doctors for In a blatantly irrational and unwise deci- Dr Madzorera said government to replace and we urge sanity to pre- several years. The earl losers in the sion, consistent with the incompetence must restore dignity to the health vail in this government, for once.” The MDC’s Alternative Health Minis- long-drawn doctors saga are the of the Mnangagwa regime, the gov- profession without delay, urging ter, Dr Henry Madzorera, told The Real millions of innocent citizens of this ernment early this week fired the doc- the country’s political leaders to re- In the same week that government ChangeTimes that the illegimate Mnan- country who cannot afford the lux- tors who were legitimately clamour- ceive health care in the country to irrationally fired the doctors, it also gagwa regime had made an unwise de- ury of accessing treatment outside ing for improved working conditions. ensure that they improve the same. proscribed teachers and other civil cision to fire striking doctors for their the country,” said Dr Madzorera. servants from demonstrating, de- legitimate demands for a living wage “We urge the government to reinstate “The sacking of 77 doctors by this il- spite the express signal that they and for improved working conditions. The former Minister of Health, un- all the fired doctors, unconditionally. legitimate government is extremely could indeed proceed with their der whose tenure the collapsed health We further urge the government to go regrettable and completely unwise. peaceful march to express their “The US$3 billion that disappeared delivery system was resuscitated be- back to the negotiating table with the We wish to take note that the doctors disgruntlement over measly wag- without trace from the Command Ag- tween 2009 and 2013, said the doctors doctors, and negotiate I good faith this were exercising their democratic and es and poor working conditions. riculture programme could pay our had genuine concerns of inadequate time,” said the people’s Health Minister. Constitutional right. They simply ex-

MDC @ 20: Celebrating , Courage, Growth and the People’s Victories

1 Diplomatic Engagement ... President this week met the Indian Ambassador to Zimbabwe, Mr Rungsung Masakui at the Party Headquarters. It was a robust, honest and frank engagement

Development Engagement ... The MDC - run Gokwe Town Council goes green...

People Engagement Cllr Lovemore Makuwerere of ward 24 in Highfield, Harare at his November feedback meeting at Lusaka creche earlier this week. Leadership of the people, by the people, for the people.

MDC Communications , Morgan Richard Tsvangirai House, 44 Nelson Mandela Ave, Harare Zimbabwe •Facebook@zimbabwemdc

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