The Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) joined the world in commemorating Workers’ Day, using the day to condemn alarming violations by some Chinese investors, who they accused of disregarding occupational safety and health standards.
In a statement, the union said Chinese are denying Zimbabwean workers protective clothing and forcing them to work excessively long hours.
“We have noted the worst violations from some of these Chinese employers and would want to make it clear that enough is enough.
“Their level of disregard for occupational safety and health is alarming. Most workers in their establishments are denied protective clothing and are forced to work for long hours. This cannot go unchallenged,’ reads the statement.
In their fiery statement, the ZCTU decried the lack of improvements in labor rights, the fight against corruption, and the respect for the rule of law and the will of the people.
“We have not seen improvements in respect of labour rights, combating of corruption, respect for the rule of law and the will of the people and restraint of plunder of natural resources.
“Non resolution to these matters is keeping the majority of citizens in bondage. The socio-economic divide between the haves and have not is widening by the day. This calls for serious introspection by the working class towards their common goal,” reads the statement.
The union criticized the government’s economic policies, which they said have consistently failed to address the plight of workers.
The ZCTU recalled how past policy decisions, such as the introduction of Bond Notes in 2016, had left workers and citizens in tears, leading to the loss of investments, savings and incomes
“The plight of the workers over the years has not improved despite pronouncement that it has improved. Tangible progress remains a pipe dream despite several blueprints and monetary policies being implemented. Over the years, some of the policies have left workers in tears.
“We vividly remember how we lost investments, savings and incomes in 2008’s runaway inflation period and 2016 when the country introduced Bond Notes. People have lost their investments without recourse time and again over the years as the government introduced new monetary policies without adequate consultations.
“This results in non-acceptance of such policies by other stakeholders leading to their failure no matter how good they may be. Issues of trust and faith must not be down played. We moved from Bearer Cheques, Agro Cheques, RTGS and Bond notes without an improvement. We now have the ZIG and we still wait to see its effectiveness,” reads the statement.
Regarding the current economic climate, the union stated that the worker and citizen welfare remains “very precarious,” with workers’ rights being continuously eroded.
They highlighted the punitive environment characterized by low wages and poor protection levels, despite some positive gains in the new Labor Act.
