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ZCTU President Lovemore Matombo dismissed from work
Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU)
January 26, 2004

The Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) informs you that the President, Lovemore Matombo was dismissed from work on Friday 23 January 2004.

In a well calculated move by the Zimbabwe Posts (ZIMPOST) management, Mr. Matombo was initially suspended from work on 13 January 2004 after being accused of allegedly disrupting a ZIMPOST board meeting on 11 December 2003. Mr Matombo was again accused of being away from work without official leave after he attended the Organisation of African Trade Union Unity (OATUU) on 5-12 January 2004.

Mr. Matombo was arraigned before a disciplinary hearing on Friday 23 January 2004 where the decision to dismiss him fropm ZIMPOST was reached.

The decision was reached after initially, management and workers side had agreed that there was no case to answer for Mr. Matombo. But after some deliberations among the management disciplinary committee members, management resolved to fire Mr. Matombo.

This decision to dismiss the President shows that there was a lot of outside influence as it was apparent that management had instructions to fire Matombo before the hearing although the case was unprocedurally handled. The pressure started from the Board chairmen who instructed management to discipline Matombo.

The ZCTU does not rule out political influence in the handling of the matter as Mr. Matombo has been targeted by the IMPOST management for a long time.

Meanwhile the ZCTU has petitioned the ZIMPOST management to rescind its decision as it views this as politicisation of the workplace, an unfair labour practice and a clear violation of Human and Trade Union Rights.

ZIMPOST management has been given seven days notice failure to which the ZCTU would mobilise for a national work stoppage to protest the particular case of Mr. Matombo and the general victimisation and violation of human and Trade Union rights.

Mlamleli Sibanda
ZCTU Information Dept

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