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May Day Speech
Lovemore Matombo, President, Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU)
May 1, 2004

The master of ceremony, invited guests, Presidents and General Secretaries of affiliate unions, fellow workers of Zimbabwe, ladies and gentleman.

We have gathered here again to commemorate Workers day but our major task is to reminisce over the challenges we have faced as workers and also look at the future.

It will be a waste of time ladies and gentleman to tabulate or chronicle the problems we have in this country. What is important for us to do today is to come up with a resolution that no matter how difficult the problems are, we are going to over come them as a united force.

Labour Rights Issues
It is sad to note that Zimbabwe has joined some countries which are regarded as "pariah" states by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) because of its disregard for human and trade Union rights.

During the past year, almost all ZCTU leaders were at one time or another arrested by the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) for demonstrating against anti-worker policies which included, high levels of taxation, persecution of trade unionists and the call for transparency at the National social Authority (NSSA) this to us was clear stifling of the right of workers to express their disgruntlement over the way government was implementing its policies.

What is surprising is that each time we were arrested the government failed to lay any single charge against us meaning that all the actions we were undertaking were above board.

The problem has also been exacerbated by the selective application of the law which has not only affected, the trade union movement but also civic groups, journalists, students, musicians and even sports people. All these people have been persecuted because they have sometimes offered different views from that of government.

As the ZCTU, we view this as practically closing the democratic space, which every Zimbabwean is clamouring for.

Taxation
Ladies and gentleman, government has still to do more to cushion workers against the high cost of living. Income Tax has to be reduced. We are one of the highest taxed nations in the region and among the highest in the world. This is unbearable for workers in a country were the cost of living is also very high.

There is need for the government to reconsider the tax system so that workers earning below the Poverty Datum Line (PDL) which currently stands at $861 000 should not be taxed.

Colleagues, we have for a long time been calling for wage reviews and in some instances indicating how much employers should pay their workers. Because of the inflationary environment, this has become impossible and that is why the ZCTU General Council recommended that workers should have quarterly wage reviews to cushion them against the high cost of living.

AIDS Levy
As unemployment and poverty continue to soar, so is the HIV/AIDS pandemic. Comrades and friends, this pandemic has destroyed the fabric of our society. Although information about the dangers of this disease is being widely disseminated, people seam to be resisting behavioural change, a sorry state indeed.

The ZCTU is worried about the impact of the disease on the work force as this group is more vulnerable. To make matters worse the National AIDS Council (NAC) has also shortchanged the workers who are contributing to the AIDS fund, as they are not benefiting at all.

In the 2004 Annual budget the Minister of Finance announced that the AIDS levy will be abolished but to our dismay, the deductions are still being effected.

Billions of dollars to benefit people living with HIV/ AIDS are not reaching the intended beneficiaries and it is high time a proper audit of the AIDS fund is done. Some people view the AIDS pandemic as an opportunity to make money and create employment for themselves at the expense of deserving sufferers. This is hypocritical and must be stopped. The AIDS funds need to be distributed to deserving people and the NAC has to see to it that all those infected and affected benefit. The ZCTU therefore demands the unimpeded distribution of anti retroviral drugs to all AIDS patients.

NSSA
The ZCTU is also worried about the issue of pension funds, especially the National Social Security Authority (NSSA). Because of lack of transparency in the running of NSSA affairs, the ZCTU pulled out its representatives from the NSSA board in protest. The Authority had operated for many years without producing audited financial statements which prompted the ZCTU to raise its concerns. The ZCTU will continue to call for more investigations into NSSA affairs until the house is in order and workers and pensioners are able to get reasonable benefits from the fund.

The Tripartite Negotiating Forum
The ZCTU pulled out of the Tripartite Negotiating Forum (TNF) in April 2003 after government had unilaterally decided to announce the increase of the price of fuel in the dead of night on 16 April 2003 on the grounds that the increases were agreed to at the TNF, yet the matter was still under negotiation. It was at this time that the ZCTU realized that government was not committed to the TNF and was not taking other stake holders seriously.

Let us make it very clear comrades and friends that the ZCTU will only consider its position in the TNF on the following conditions, that government;

• stop persecuting trade unionists
• accept the basic principles of tripartism as guided by the ILO standards
• and improve their human and trade union rights record.

Even though the ZCTU had hectic periods last year, the organisation managed to focus itself on improving the lives of workers amid a host of challenges.

One of the major achievements by the ZCTU was the successful launch of a model collective bargaining agreement, which is meant for use by workers as a guideline for collective bargaining. With the poverty wages we are getting, it is our hope that this model CBA would help us to negotiate wisely, now and in future.

Comrades and friends, before we leave this place we have to set out an Agenda for this year so that when we meet again next year we will take stock of our achievements and failures. Therefore the agenda for this year ladies and gentlemen is to:

• Fight, fight and fight for workers rights
• Demand the reduction of income tax
• Increase pension funds benefits and Call for an investigation into NSSA operations
• Stop corruption at all levels
• Demand for free and accessible Anti retroviral drugs
• Call for the improvement of the health delivery system, the education sector and social services
• Demand the removal of the Public Order and Security Act and the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act (AIPPA)
• Demand respect for human and trade union rights.

Last but not least as a united and focused workforce, let us brace for a real fight to reclaim our rights as workers.

Aluta Continua

PROUD TO BE ZCTU

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