Workers Day to be revived

THE government will this year revive Workers Day commemorations amid indications it is organising events bringing together trade unions and their members countrywide.

Workers' Day is celebrated on May 1 the world over.

The day has lost lustre in the past few years in Zimbabwe, with a few people attending the commemorations due to politicisation of trade unionism.

The country's two largest workers representatives, the Zimbabwe Federation of Trade Unions and the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions have aligned themselves to Zanu-PF and MDC formations respectively.

Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare Minister Prisca Mupfumira yesterday said the government wanted to re-establish links with the workers by bringing them together to better appreciate their concerns.

She said a number of Cabinet Ministers would take part in this year's commemorations to hear for themselves workers' grievances.

"The government wants the best for the workers and we're going back to the old days when the government used to organise Workers Day," she said.

"We're going to have a big gathering for the workers and they'll dominate the proceedings, presenting their grievances. We also want to see which sectors aren't being paid and there'll be Ministers listening to the challenges faced by the workers. We'll give every union the platform. In short, government is re-establishing links with the workers."

The celebrations have provisionally been slated for Rufaro Stadium in Harare.

Minister Mupfumira said genuine trade unions should be apolitical.

"We're in the process of finalising further labour reforms and I need them all and every worker is invited," she said.

"Some people purporting to represent them aren't talking to them and this is their chance to be heard. We want to celebrate the worker whom we're saying should find a voice."

ZFTU secretary general Kennias Shamuyarira welcomed the development saying it was agreed on three months ago.

"It's something we're aware of," he said. "We agreed, together with the ZCTU, that it's noble that as workers, we should converge as we've one common agenda and destiny. The same concerns that befall ZFTU are the same that befall ZCTU. We're looking forward to such a day. Our mandate comes from the workers who're the stockholders of the labour centres."

He added: "The Minister must see all the workers across the divide and address them. Whether we're in attendance as leaders is something else but the workers must be addressed and get the government position at the same time airing their grievances. This is a past practice that had been negated to the backburner. Since Independence the government used to call all the workers and declare the minimum wages, it was the job of the Minister, which to us is very paramount. It's only Zimbabwe that doesn't have a national minimum wage.

"This has caused haphazard salary scales across the industrial spectrum in our country because we don't have a working yardstick."

Shamuyarira said the National Employment Councils, which were setting the minimum wage, were not uniform.

"There are elitists, capitalists, liberals, revolutionaries in them and it's a free for all," he said.

"And this is the starting point to get back to normal. We're working with progressive unions to ensure the Minister addresses the workers and she must bring with her Cabinet Ministers to hear workers speak."

ZCTU secretary general Japhet Moyo said they had already made plans to have their main commemorations at Gwanzura Stadium.

"We're at an advanced stage and we've a programme which we can't abandon at this stage," he said.

"They (government) can't be responsible for our own activity. We always invite the Minister of Labour to give a key note address. It's only last year that the Minister of Labour didn't turn up."