The R5.00 Voice of the Labour Movement Established 19 88 Issue No: 217 AUGU ST, 201 4 Regist e r e d at the GPO as a Newsp ap er Workers NRZ pay demos Now or stoking never for strikes Page 3 Page 16 Page 5 Page 11 for Kaindu Page 16 Victory for workers as TNF thwarts LMF BY CHRISTOPHER MAHOVE he Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) has scored a major victory for workers in their fight against Labour Market TFlexibility after the Tripartite Negotiating Forum (TNF) partners agreed that the collective bargaining process must take into account various considerations that include productivity and the needs of workers and their families. The agreement effectively thwarts attempts by business and some sections in government to introduce Labour Market Flexibility, which would have given employers the green-light to hire, fire and retrench workers without due compensation. The TNF partners, which are labour, government and business, this month agreed on issues for labour law reform and adopted principles for the legislation of the TNF, which will see the streamlining of retrenchment processes to make them respond to the needs of both employers and workers. In the agreed amendments to the legislation, National Employment Councils (NEC's) will now be empowered to determine minimum packages for retrenched workers and as well as put a cap on the number of times a contract of employment is renewed to avoid abuse after reports that some workers have been on contract for over 10 years. An independent dispute settlement system will also be put in place within Tripartite Negotiating Forum principals George Nkiwane (Labour), Min Nicholas Goche (Government) and To Page 12 Jack Mrewa (Busines) addressing a press conference in Harare earlier this month . Workers want job action over economic meltdown BY STAFF REPORTER as it sought to hear the views of the In Masvingo, workers demanded of taking to the streets to push that the economic meltdown was general membership on the state of that the national labour centre government to find an economic posing a serious threat to workers' orkers across the the economy. organise a national protest. solution. survival, as some were going for over country are threatening The forums are being held in all the 'We have been patient for long, the “Cde President, we have nothing several months without salaries while Wto hit the streets with ZCTU's six regional centres where government and the employers are to wait for, the situation is appalling hundreds of companies were shutting massive protests demanding action the national regional leadership is taking us for granted, everything and our families as workers are down. from all stakeholders to address the meeting the working class with an seems to be deteriorating and workers suffering, we cannot continue to have “We are facing a doomed future economic slide. emphasis on the threat posed by are the worst affected. Its high time this, so I say let's go for protest, tinoti with the rate at which the economy is The sentiments have been drawn Labour Market Flexibility (LMF). we demonstrate and show our power, ngachitsve,” a worker contributed to crumbling and government seems to from labour forums held across the ZCTU President George Nkiwane maybe the authorities will begin to the forum. be not concerned. So, as workers we country by the Zimbabwe Congress and Secretary General Japhet Moyo understand our predicament,” said Nkiwane said that the state of the need to say enough is enough and take of Trade Unions (ZCTU) leadership will address workers in all the one worker. economy and the status of workers ZCTU's six regional centres. Other workers agreed with the idea was deteriorating by the day adding Continued on Page 5 Page 2 The Worker, AUGUST 2014 ZCIEA reviewing organising strategies conducted on organizing in the informal BY ADMORE MARAMBANYIKA economy to come up with a practical work- he Zimbabwe Chamber of plan and analysis on organizing was a Informal Economy Association milestone towards building a stronger (ZCIEA) is looking at ways to informal economic sector. T Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions organise players in the informal economy to enhance their visibility and (ZCTU) President George Nkiwane who also representation capacity. attended the workshop urged ZCIEA to In an effort to realise working organising continue with its noble idea of organising strategies for the informal economy the players in the informal economy. Zimbabwe Chamber of Informal Economy “Its high time ZCIEA moves a gear up in Association (ZCIEA) has held a research to organising its membership. It's no longer a find the best alternatives in organising the secret that the informal sector is now the informal economy sector to keep it alive. biggest employer in Zimbabwe. You need to ZCIEA president Lucia Masekesa said the move from rhetoric to action,” he said. informal economy was now the biggest in the Nkiwane added that the informal economy country hence the need to organise players in was driving the economy but needed to be the economy in pursuance of better working well organised. He reiterated that ZCTU will conditions and recognition. stand by ZCIEA as informal traders and In her remarks at a recent workshop on the formal employees are all workers who need importance of organising in the informal representation from their mother bodies. economy Masekesa said the formal economy ZCIEA Secretary General Wisborn was shrinking and the rise of the informal Malaya said his organisation had a potential economy needs to be handled carefully by of recruiting more members but the majority authorities adding that the informal economy of them remain unorganised and ignorant of was not transitory. their rights. “We have realised that the numbers of “If the informal economy is organized we Researchers on informal economy organising get recognition, the formal industry is dying retrenchments have increased since the formation of ZCIEA, and the retrenched and the informal economy is sustaining many organise them given their gender roles and which were not comfortable with our agenda. workers need to be captured in terms of livelihoods. The informal economy traders other social responsibilities that restrict their There was a feeling that we were on a mission organizing, keeping a track record of these sustained the economy when it was on its participation. The research we conducted to form another political party. We managed workers to strengthen the trade unions,” said knees and continues to do so but we are not revealed several hurdles in organising the to find a way out because our message to the Malaya. getting the necessary recognition and sector,” he said. informal traders was universal, that is how we He added that organising the informal continue to be treated like criminals by law The research showed that the legal and managed to build ZCIEA. However the same economy would reap more rewards as an enforcement agents. We have carried out our regulatory framework, economic old challenges are still there. The politicians organised lot of informal traders can research as an avenue to improve our strength. development policies, leadership, cultural know that numbers are now in the informal collectively negotiate with authorities on We are glad that the researchers managed to norms, negative attitudes and lack of self- sector hence they want to control it through working terms. tap data from all over the country and came up identity by informal traders were some of the policy regulation,” he said. “Once the traders are organised and with a document that would improve our issues that hindered organising in the sector. The workshop came up with a work-plan getting the necessary recognition we will not livelihoods if followed and implemented “We have traders in the informal economy on how best ZCIEA would start to effectively spend most of our time running battles with religiously,” she said. who do not identify themselves as workers, organise the informal economy. The work- law enforcement agents but doing our She said authorities need to engage the how can they participate in informal activities plan also focussed on the role of the business without disturbances. Once the informal traders with a view to find a common or associations and cannot be organized. We government in organising the informal sector starts operating in an orderly manner understanding rather than conflict. also have people who work in isolation in economy as well as extending social security we will not have problems in paying the dues “We have the deaf and dumb in the homes and backyards. This group of informal cover to the sector. to local authorities,” he said. informal sector and it is very vital if traders is difficult to get but we will come up The informal economy in Zimbabwe Malaya said economic hardships triggered authorities could enhance their with strategies of organising and encouraging started to sprout soon after independence by the Economic Structural Adjustment communication with this group by use of sign them to participate in informal activities,” he following the scrapping of colonial restrictive Programme (ESAP) stimulated the growth of language. We also need sanitary facilities at said. migration laws. The sector grew from 13 the informal economy. the workplaces. It is very important to ZCIEA coordinator Elijah Mutemeri said percent in 1963 to 23 percent in 1980 in He said there were many dynamics in organise the sector for it to be recognized by the political interference was a major hurdle Zimbabwe. organizing in the Informal Economy government as a representative body with a in organising the informal sector as political ESAP reduced the number of formal emanating from internal, external, political voice on policy influence and intervention so parties feel threatened as their powerbases lie workers by retrenchments expanding the and conceptual factors with many trade that we can effectively assist membership in within the numbers in the informal sector.