Back to Index

ZCTU threatens action over Cosatu ban
Kumbirai Mafunda, The Standard
October 31, 2004

http://www.thestandard.co.zw/read.php?st_id=880

THE government and the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) could be headed for a collision course over last week's expulsion of a delegation of the Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) leaders who were on a five-day fact finding mission.

On Tuesday last week the government deported a 12-member delegation from Cosatu saying their mission was not acceptable because it was "political". The Cosatu leaders had arrived in Zimbabwe the previous day on a five-day fact-finding mission.

The ZCTU's supreme decision-making body, the General Council met on Wednesday in the capital to review Harare's highhanded action. ZCTU president Lovemore Matombo said the emergency meeting of the General Council had mandated the labour movement to register its protest in the wake of fresh attacks on trade unionism.

"The General Council is greatly harmed and angered by this uncalled for action by the government. This suggests that workers of Zimbabwe and the general population are quarantined in all aspects of political and social life," Matombo said.

Officers from the immigration department accompanied by members of the police deported the Cosatu team on Tuesday, accusing it of meddling in the country's affairs on behalf of former colonial ruler Britain, a charge Cosatu vehemently denied.

Matombo did not specify the course of action the labour movement would take.

"Any form of protest now has to take a completely different form. The collision course will continue," vowed Matombo in an interview last week.

The ZCTU has on numerous occasions clashedwith the government over high taxation, abuse of trade union leaders and the latter's failure to stem the economic decay.

With a clash looking increasingly likely between the government and the ZCTU, other civic society organizations have thrown their weight behind the labour movement.

"Cosatu was kicked out because they wanted to meet the National Constitutional Assembly (NCA). So when the ZCTU fights this stupid attitude of the government we will be behind them," said NCA chairman Lovemore Madhuku.

The deportation, which has left Cosatu locked in an acrimonious struggle with the leadership of the African National Congress (ANC), threatens the latter's relations with the ruling Zanu PF government long considered skeptical of ANC.

Cosatu spokesperson, Patrick Craven declared the expulsion as a snub to the South African government as well as Cosatu. Analysts said the uneasy relationship between Zanu PF and the ANC could be tested by the Cosatu deportation.

During South Africa's armed struggle, the Zimbabwe government supported the fast fading Pan Africanist Congress which has performed dismally at subsequent elections.

Meanwhile, Harare's action continued to draw international condemnation with the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU) vowing to protest to the United Nations' International Labour Organisation (ILO) against the treatment of Cosatu.

Please credit www.kubatana.net if you make use of material from this website. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License unless stated otherwise.

TOP