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Working people are taking the full load of the economic crisis
Civic Alliance for Social & Economic Progress (CASEP)
May 03, 2003

CASEP congratulates the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions for leading a peaceful and successful three day action over the unacceptable increase in fuel prices. Increases of 300% and more in petrol prices and doubling of transport operator prices has made the costs of transport unaffordable to all working people, not only those in the formal sector.

These costs add to the already severe burden of the current economic decline. Food shortages and speculation over food have led to parallel market prices of basics like maize meal at over 10 times the control price. The cost of communications, clothing, schoolbooks and uniforms and household goods have all soared. People have had to sell household assets to buy basic goods for survival. Hungry workers are now walking to work daily as they can no longer afford public transport.

CASEP notes that promises of wage increases to meet these rising costs have not been met. Teachers were promised significant wage increases and job regrading to skilled professional workers by January 2003 but to date there has been no delivery on these promises. CASEP supports the call by the teachers unions, ZIMTA and PTUZ, to implement the evaluation and salary increases for teachers, backdated to January 2003.

These issues indicate that there is a deeper problem: Labour, who bear the burden of economic policies, are neither being properly consulted nor respected by government. ZCTU indicate that the fuel price increases were implemented without adequate consultation and agreement. The teachers unions indicate that government undertakings to implement the job evaluation by January 2003 were not honoured. Working people cannot continue to bear the brunt of economic decline while government disregards the basic conditions of trust, mutual respect and dialogue necessary for national economic management.

**The Civic Alliance on Social and Economic Progress (CASEP) is a coalition of civic organisations involved in areas of economic and social activity (ZCTU, ZIMTA, PSA, CWGH, ZURA, ZIMRIGHTS, MMPZ, ZPT, ZINASU).

For more information, please contact:
The Chairperson, Civic Alliance for Social and Economic Progress (CASEP)
Tel. +263-(0)4-705108, Fax: 737220

Visit the CASEP fact sheet

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