Nkosentsha Khumalo
News Reporter
Yesterday, a day set aside to laud the tireless toil and sacrifice of workers worldwide, Bulawayo’s City Centre was transformed into a solemn testament of a nation’s economic struggles.
The day passed like any normal working day for many retail stores, supermarkets, hardware shops, fastfood outlets, mushrooming malls, Chinese shops, street vendors as the workers were oblivious of the importance of May Day.
Elsewhere at the heart of the City, a cruel twist of irony, the once proud workers’ unions, emblems of the struggles and victories of the past, found themselves relegated to the humble confines of the Small City Hall, where they gathered to observe this say set aside for the workers. Their calls for justice were echoed only by a dwindling crowd of comrades.
The echoes of impassioned speeches and fervent calls for worker’s rights reverberated through the Small City Hall, a venue that, on this day, saw an estimated number of 150 attendees, a paltry number when compared to the thousands who yesteryear thronged the City’s Stadiums countrywide in support of the workers’ cause.
This diminished size of the gathering starkly contrasted the once unstoppable force of the workers’ movements in Bulawayo, a testament to the struggle faced by labor forces in the face of economic instability and waning union power.
Gone are the days when the commanding might of the workers’ movement in Bulawayo was in full force.
Trade Unions like the Posts and Telecommunications Workers Union, National Railways of Zimbabwe Workers Union, Zimbabwe Bankers Union and many more, used to shake the corridors of employers and the government as well in the heydays of Gibson Sibanda, Morgane Tsvangirai, Lovemore Matombo and the rest.
In the heyday of Zimbabwe’s industrial prowess, Workers’ Day Commemorations filled the grand stadiums of White City with its approximated 20,000 seater capacity and Barbourfields with 45,000 seater capacity, a testament to the robustness of the unions and the sea of support they could muster.
Now, however, the scene has shifted dramatically.
This Year’s commemorations of International Workers Day were held under the theme ” Workers Demand an Inclusive Zimbabwe Free From Poverty, Corruption and Oppression” ARISE WORKERS ARISE.
Among the notable attendees were representatives from the National Aids Council (NAC), National Social Security Authority (NSSA), the Progressive Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (PTUZ), Zimbabwe Human Rights Association (ZimRights), as well as workers from sectors such as manufacturing, commercial, and others.
In his opening remarks, the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) Chairperson for the Western Region, Ambrose Sibindi, bemoaned the dire state of the economy and its impact on workers.
He emphasized that Zimbabwean industries are operating at reduced capacity, which has led to delays in salary disbursements for many workers.
With inflation rampant and purchasing power eroded, this scenario has plunged many into financial turmoil.
Sibindi called on the government to enact policies that will breathe life into industries, enabling them to produce and export goods, thus boosting the economy and ultimately improving workers’ lives.
“Industries are now operating in a low operating scale and capacity. Majority of the workers do not get their salaries on time and this affects the workers immensely due to hyper inflation. The government must come up with policies to enable industries to produce and export goods so that the economy can improve, “said Sibindi.
The Bulawayo Progressive Residents Association (BPRA) Secretary for Education, Benny Moyo said that,
“According to ZimStat, the month to month USD inflation rates for April 2024 was 0.8%, gaining 0.6% percentage points. The year on year USD inflation rate for April was by all items’ consumer price index 3.2. The agent also said that the money for April, the Consumer Price Index, CPI, was greater for water, electricity, gas and other uses which contributed the cost,” Moyo said.
“In other words, most of the workers found themselves standing below the poverty that you find. For those of you working, don’t look forward to retiring. In April, we got paid US$40 as our pension fund and ZiG 135. Thus I can testify that when you retire, you are fastest to death through poverty,” he added.
Nhamo Bepete, the General Council Manager of the ZCTU, read the speech from the President of the ZCTU, Florence Mucha Taruvinga, saying that workers are mistreated by their employers due to high unemployment prevailing and that they are severely affected by this.
“The workers’ dream for a good life is fast becoming a fairy tale. Employment and social conditions are deteriorating at an alarming pace. High unemployment cause employers to wilfully disregard the tenets of social justice at the workplace.”
“Some companies force workers to join unions that are formed by management which is certainly against the Labor law and the Constitution that guarantees freedom of association,” said Bepete.
“We have not witnessed significant changes on service delivery and infrastructure although we are being taxed to the marrow. Workers and corporates do not see the value of the taxes they are contributing to the fiscus. Our social services and amenities are not improving. Most of our infrastructure is in bad shape. The cost of basic goods and services is beyond the reach of many. An average family now requires a minimum USD$570 to meet monthly needs,” she added.
Meanwhile, posting on his X account formerly known as Twitter, Oppositon leader and former Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) President, Nelson Chamisa said Zimbabwe is facing a harsh reality in the sense Workers’ Day commemorations are being held when over 80% of the working population is unemployed.
“Strikingly, 3.5 million youths are unemployed while 7.9 million people live in extreme poverty. The majority live below the poverty datum line of US$575, while average wages at US$275 fall short of meeting basic needs. Punitive tax thresholds, starting at US$100, leave little to support families, where a basket of basic goods is six times higher than the minimum wage.”
“Every worker deserves to thrive in an inclusive Zimbabwe where everyone has access to fair and dignified employment opportunities and a balanced work environment.”
“In a new corruption-free Zimbabwe, the fruits of labour will fuel economic progress and boost economic prosperity, benefiting all families. Workers deserve the freedom to freely choose a government that serves them, making the resolution of August 2023 disputed elections a crucial step towards recognizing workers’ rights.”
Zim GBC News©2024