ILO roped into NRZ strike

The International Labour Organisation (ILO) has been approached by the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) to intervene in the pay dispute between the National Railways of Zimbabwe (NRZ) and its striking workers.

 More than 6000 workers have been on strike over non-payment of salaries for 15 months for more than two weeks.

In a letter to the ILO last week, ZCTU secretary-general Japhet Moyo said "The dispute is of nonpayment of wages for the period January 2015 to March 2016, a period of 15 months.

"The company owes about $87,5 million in salary arrears. On 29 March 2016 the workers engaged on a strike to force the employer to pay their salaries which are overdue,".

"This failure to pay salaries has also affected the trade unions in terms of subscriptions not remitted to the unions. The unions are now incapacitated to conduct their activities.

"Following the strike, management have invoked the law by approaching the Minister of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare to issue a show cause order whose effect is to terminate a legitimate strike and may have consequences of dismissing employees who have a legitimate cause."

ZCTU said government must not invoke its law to deal with the striking workers, which law is inconsistent with the Constitution of Zimbabwe.