WORKER May 2013 Final

The R5.00 Voice of the Labour Movement Established 1988 Issue No: 204 MAY, 2013 Register ed at the GPO as a News paper y Young Workers ZIMTA Soccer gate policy charges hike rules workshop president relaxed held calls it Page 3 a dayPage 8 Page 16 Nothing to celebrate .............as workers wallow in poverty, says Nkiwane imbabwean workers living. failing to pay workers on time have nothing to celebrate He lamented the poor while service providers like Zduring this year's May working conditions workers are Zimbabwe Electricity Distribution Day celebrations as they subjected to and, he said, this has Company and local authorities are continue to wallow in poverty led to most workers deciding to failing to provide services. despite the so-called economic join politics. Electricity load shedding and growth. "Most workers have now water rationing are the order of the The president of Zimbabwe's resorting to joining politics day in all towns and transport to biggest trade union federation, the because that is where everything is and from work is a nightmare. Zimbabwe Congress of Trade done. They are now joining Workers had pinned their Unions (ZCTU), George Nkiwane, politics in order to reshape the hopes on the government of told The Worker that what workers future," he said. national unity but from 2009 at its have hoped for during the whole Meanwhile, the ZCTU lined inception it has failed to deliver and year had not materialized. up commemorations in several make the necessary reforms. "Nothing has changed since towns across the country under the Retrenchments have rendered last year, there have been no salary theme "Workers Under Siege: thousands of workers redundant increments for the past two or so Organise, Unite and Fight On". depleting the power of the working years for most workers. Most The working environment in class. collective agreements have ended Zimbabwe has been compromised The main event is in Harare at up in courts and at arbitration. for a long period and workers Gwanzura stadium where the guest Workers have now become the rights have been sacrificed. Labour speaker will be the Prime Minister working poor. There is nothing to laws are the least observed in of Zimbabwe, Morgan Tsvangirai, celebrate," said Nkiwane. virtually all sectors. The new crop himself a former Secretary- Collective bargaining has of investors especially the Chinese General of the ZCTU. The Minister virtually been stalled with most do not observe labour laws and the of labour, Paurina Mpariwa will sectors having concluded authorities that be are not keen to also be the guest of honour. negotiations two years back. prosecute them because of their However, in the spirit of Currently employers are offering political links. oneness, political parties like Zanu inflation adjusted increments Workers are being brutalised PF, MDC-T, MDC-N, Mavambo while unions are demanding living by Chinese employers especially and Zapu were also invited. wages at par with the Poverty in the construction sector. This Other centres were Datum Line which is now around laxity to the Chinese is commemorations are to take place $600.00 a month. Most workers contributing to the disturbing rise include Masvingo (Mucheke are earning salaries ranging from in workplace injuries and fatalities. $90.00 per month to $300.00 The mainstream economy is which is a pittance given the cost of on its knees with most companies To page 3 GEORGE NKIWANE Page 2 The Worker, MAY 2013 Unemployment hits Mutare as companies collapse which had since forced the in such a scenario,'' he said. company to operate far below The ZCTU Eastern Regional capacity. Officer reiterated that several Karina Textiles Private industries in the Region were on Limited was also not spared by the hard times and the workers were country's economic meltdown bearing the brunt of the crises. He and the once gigantic sole wool stated that it was imperative for manufacturer terminated the government to treat the operations in October last year phenomenon as a matter of leaving over 300 workers in abject urgency. poverty. ''You see, industry in this The company and workers region has been reeling from a have been embroiled in a labour myriad of viability challenges. wrangle after management Mutare industry is timber and applied for liquidation without agro-based but the processing any consultation whilst the factories in these sectors has workers had preferred judicial either been scaling down or management to resuscitate the terminating operations. So factory. The case is still pending at pathetic is the situation that even the High Court. giant companies such as Border Mutare Cairns Foods, a Timbers International as well as former leading processor of fruit Allied Timbers are failing to and vegetable products including break even whilst exposing baked beans, jam as well as workers on the hardest of times,'' tomato sauce drastically scaled he said. down operations and recently Early this year the Minister of placed its factory under judicial State in the President's Office, Jobless youths spend most of their time doing nothing and end up engaging in nefarious activities management after laying off more Didymus Mutasa in conjunction than 500 workers. It has been with the Manicaland Business confirmed that the factory is Action Group (MBAG) toured BY STAFF REPORTER in labour wrangles at the courts workers at its peak, succumbed to currently operating below 10% the distressed industries in the where they are demanding their viability challenges and closed capacity and only re- Region. MBAG advisor, Bezel dues. engaged 60 workers in its Nyabadza called for maximum ndustries in Mutare, shop in November 2009. ''There is no industry to talk production. The factory is a intervention by both the which formerly Efforts to revive the giant about here. We witnessed a typical industry whose targeted government and the private sector contributed significantly manufacturing paper plant were I massive decline during this failed and its machinery was domestic market was stifled by to revive Mutare industries to the country's economy, now country's decade long economic cheap food imports flooding the describing the situation as dire. resembles ghost settlements as disposed whilst the offices have meltdown. The sad part of the market. There have also been calls most factories halted been turned into a private primary whole crisis is that it is the Quest Motors Corporation, from various stake holders in the operations leaving thousands of school. workers who are at the receiving one of the renowned car region which suggested that workers in the eastern border The gigantic workshops at the end. Cases of unfair termination assemblers in Zimbabwe for over companies extracting diamonds at town desperate for site were converted into backyard of contracts, retrenchments as 6 decades, has also been bleeding the vast Chiadzwa site in the employment. garages whilst some structures well as non payment of terminal in its operations. province should prioritise A recent survey conducted by have since been refurbished into benefits had been on the rise,'' he The company's director Tarik resuscitating the plummeting this reporter revealed that restaurants and some other small said. Adam stated that they were forced Mutare Industry as a matter of inactivity has characterised scale businesses. It has since been established to operate at less than 5% capacity urgency. former renowned business The former largest fusalite that numerous challenges due to the stiff challenges in the The crises has left many entities and the remaining safety glass manufacturers, P.G including lack of capital automobile industry. Mutareans in a desperate companies were operating far Safety Glass disengaged over 200 injection, high production costs '' The economic climate we are predicament and many workers below capacity in the former workers including managerial and stiff competition by cheap operating under is never have turned to informal work timber dominant industry. staff through compulsory foreign products mainly imports sustainable. It is apparent that new which has witnessed an influx of The ZCTU Eastern Regional retrenchment in 2010 after from China and South Africa - out cars are coming across the border vendors around the city where Officer, Tenson Muchefa noted halting production and sold the played several local economic from South Africa and flooding they are daily involved in a cat and that the demise of the industry in factory to Afri-Safety Glass (Pvt) players out of business have the market. These cars are being mouse chase with both the the province had posed a Ltd in March last year. affected business. subsidised by their government municipality and the ZR Police. desperate situation for most The new glass producers only Mutare Board and Paper Mills and with our current economic workers since they were rendered re-engaged 50 employees and (MBPM), which used to produce experiences, it's a daunting jobless further revealing that most have been struggling citing 1500 tonnes of newsprint hostile economic environment ambition to put up a competition of the employees were embroiled monthly and employed over 6000 2013 MAY, The Worker Page 3 Young Workers congress imminent All is set for the inaugural young workers congress if the Zimbabwe Congresss of Trade Union's (ZCTU) supreme body the general council adopts the constitutional ammendments that will recognise the Young Workers as a bonafide structure of the labour body. The constitutional ammendments were proposed at a Young Workers policy development and constitutional ammendments which was held in Masvingo last month. The structure is set to be adopted in the same manner in which the ZCTU Women Advisory Council (WAC) was incorporated. Addressing the workshop, ZCTU first deputy general secretary Gideon Shoko said it was high time the young workers were recognised in the labour movement.

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